Match Preview: Charlton Athletic vs London City
Barclays Women’s Super League
Charlton Athletic vs London City Lionesses
Saturday 19th September 2026 | 12:30PM (BST)
The Valley, London
Back at The Valley
Another Saturday. Another London derby.
We make the trip to The Valley this afternoon to face Charlton Athletic, with kick-off at 12:30pm in our third Barclays Women’s Super League fixture of the season.
It is a return to a ground that produced one of the most dramatic moments of our promotion-winning 2024/25 campaign, and this time, the two sides meet for the first time as Barclays WSL opponents.
Eder Maestre’s side arrive looking for an immediate response following last weekend’s narrow 2-1 defeat to West Ham United, having opened the campaign with an impressive victory over Manchester United in Bromley.
Charlton are searching for their first points since their promotion to the top flight, setting up another important afternoon in the capital.
The Valley. Another London derby. It’s live on the BBC today.
Here is your full match preview.
London City Lionesses
London City head across the capital with three points from our opening two matches of the new campaign.
After beginning the season with a memorable 2-1 victory over Manchester United, Eder Maestre’s side suffered our first defeat of 2026/27 away to West Ham last Saturday.
Kelly Gago opened the scoring for the Hammers before Viviane Asseyi doubled their advantage early in the second half.
London City responded through Daniëlle van de Donk, who produced another brilliant backheeled finish to score for the second successive weekend, but a late push for an equaliser ultimately came up short as West Ham held on for a 2-1 victory.
Now comes the opportunity to respond.
Today’s fixture is another London derby and a second consecutive game on the road, with Maestre’s side looking to reproduce the intensity and attacking confidence shown in our opening-night victory.
Opposition Overview: Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic are back in the Barclays Women’s Super League this season after securing promotion through the play-offs at the end of the 2025/26 campaign.
Karen Hills’ side earned their place in the top flight following a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Leicester City at The Valley.
The Addicks strengthened considerably during the summer in preparation for the step up, with Emily van Egmond, Leah Davidson, Keira Flannery, and our player Paula Partido among the arrivals.
Their opening two matches, however, have proved challenging.
Liverpool won 4-0 at The Valley on the opening weekend before Charlton were narrowly beaten 1-0 away at Everton last Sunday.
The Addicks are yet to score in the Barclays WSL this season and have registered only five shots across their opening two fixtures. They will also be without summer arrivals Ashleigh
Neville and Hawa Cissoko this afternoon after both were sent off against Everton, plus Paula Partido missing out with a minor knee injury.
Despite those results, London City know all about the competitive nature of Karen Hills’ side from our meetings in the second tier.
Two of the previous three league meetings between the clubs have ended in London City victories, but the most recent encounter provided considerably more drama.
Last Time We Met
The last meeting between London City and Charlton came right here at The Valley in March 2025, during our promotion-winning Barclays Women’s Championship campaign.
Charlton looked set to take all three points when Katie Bradley converted from the penalty spot in the 77th minute.
London City kept pushing, and in the 96th minute, we were handed one final opportunity.
Kosovare Asllani stood over a free-kick on the edge of the area and produced a stunning
strike into the back of the net to rescue a point with virtually the final kick of the game.
A dramatic 1-1 draw, and a moment that remains one of the standout memories from our final season in the second tier.
This afternoon, we return to The Valley, and this time it is a Barclays Women’s Super League
fixture.
Eder Maestre and Jana Fernàndez’s Press Conference
Hear from Eder and Jana ahead of this afternoon’s London derby at The Valley.
The London City head coach looks ahead to the challenge posed by newly-promoted Charlton, reflects on last weekend’s trip to West Ham and discusses preparations for our third Barclays Women’s Super League fixture of the campaign, whilst Jana Fernàndez talks about her new contract and how she is finding her time in England.
Watch the full press conference below.
Today’s Kits
London City Lionesses are on the road once again this afternoon at The Valley, and we will wear our brand new away kit, that was announced yesterday.
Charlton will be wearing their red home kit.
You can buy our new away kit using the button below!
Where to Watch
Kick-off is at 12:30pm BST at The Valley on Saturday 19th September.
Today’s London derby has been selected for live broadcast by the BBC, with supporters in the UK able to watch the action live on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.
International supporters can check the Barclays WSL’s ‘Where to Watch’ guide below for local broadcast information.
As always, supporters can also follow the action across London City’s social channels throughout the afternoon.
What’s Next?
Team news drops at 11:30am, before kick-off at 12:30pm at The Valley.
COME ON LONDON CITY!
