Match Preview: London City Lionesses vs Manchester United
- 7 hours ago
- 4 min read
Barclays Women’s Super League
London City Lionesses vs Manchester United
Friday 4th September | 7PM (BST)
CopperJax Community Stadium, Bromley
The WSL Opener in Bromley
The wait is over.
London City Lionesses are back in Barclays Women’s Super League action tonight, and there could hardly be a bigger way to begin the 2026/27 campaign.
Manchester United are the visitors tonight in Bromley, for a 7pm kick-off under the lights, as the curtain rises on the new Barclays WSL season.
And Bromley will be packed.
Tonight’s fixture is officially sold out, for the biggest-ever London City home fixture.
A record crowd. A Friday night under the lights. The opening game of the Barclays Women’s Super League season.
It starts here.
For everything you need to know in and around the stadium, check out our Fan Guide below.
Here is your full match preview.
London City Lionesses
A new season brings a new opportunity for Eder Maestre’s London City.
After finishing sixth in our inaugural Barclays Women’s Super League campaign, attention now turns to season two in the top flight following a summer of major change and ambition.
We have strengthened across the pitch during the summer, with the likes of Mary Earps, Nicole Anyomi, Janni Thomsen, Alexia Putellas, Mapi León, Kadidiatou Diani, Rosa Kafaji and Daniela Arques arriving in London.
Tonight is the first opportunity to see the new-look London City in competitive action.
Maestre’s side have spent pre-season building towards this moment, recording three wins and one draw out of five games in pre-season, against S.L. Benfica, Sporting CP, Sevilla and Atlético Madrid.
Speaking ahead of the opener, the London City Head Coach outlined the identity he wants his side to show this season: a lot of possession, a lot of chances, aggressive without the ball and determined to spend as much time as possible on the front foot.
Team News
Eder Maestre’s first matchday squad of the 2026/27 Barclays Women’s Super League season will be confirmed at 6pm BST, one hour before kick-off in Bromley.
There will be competitive London City debuts on the cards following a busy summer of recruitment, with several new arrivals in contention to make their first Barclays WSL appearance for the club.
Opposition Overview: Manchester United
Manchester United arrive in Bromley beginning a new era of their own.
Tonight will be Eva Olid’s first competitive game as Manchester United head coach, having taken over from Marc Skinner during the summer following five seasons under the former United boss.
Olid arrived after a successful spell with Hearts, where she guided the Edinburgh side to their first-ever Scottish Women’s Premier League title last season.
United finished fourth in the Barclays Women’s Super League last season.
There are plenty of familiar threats within the visitors’ ranks too, including England international Ella Toone. Captain Maya Le Tissier and Jess Park are two key figures for the Red Devils, both named in the PFA Barclays WSL Team of the Year following an impressive 2025/26 campaign.
Last Time We Met
We last met at the Progress With Unity Stadium in February, where Manchester United edged a tightly-contested game 2-1.
London City made the perfect start when Nikita Parris opened the scoring after just five minutes, converting after being set up by Freya Godfrey.
United responded through Jess Park on the half-hour mark before Millie Turner headed home the winner with 11 minutes of normal time remaining.
Despite the result, Eder Maestre was encouraged by the performance against a strong side.
Tonight provides a new opportunity, with a new-look London City side returning to Bromley to begin the 2026/27 campaign.
Eder Maestre and Daniëlle van de Donk's Press Conference
Hear from Eder Maestre and Daniëlle van de Donk ahead of tonight’s Barclays Women’s Super League opener against Manchester United.
Watch the full press conference below.
Today’s Kits
We will step out in our new home kit at the CopperJax Community Stadium tonight, with a yellow goalkeeper kit.
The visitors will be in their classic red home kit, with a black goalkeeper kit.
You can buy our new home kit using the button below.
Where to Watch
Kick-off is at 7:00pm BST at the CopperJax Community Stadium in Bromley, and the match will be broadcast live in the UK on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football.
International supporters can check the Barclays WSL’s ‘Where to Watch’ guide below for local broadcast information. Use ‘CTRL F’ or ‘CMD F’ to quickly search for your country.
BWSL YouTube | Afghanistan, Albania, Andorra, Angola, Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Botswana, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, DR Congo, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Eswatini, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Hungary, Iceland, Inflight / Ship, Iran, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Kiribati, Latvia, Lesotho, Liberia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Netherlands, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, North Macedonia, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome & Principe, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, South Korea, St. Vincent & Grenadines, Suriname, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zambia, Zimbabwe |
Dubai Sport | Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, South Sudan, State of Palestine, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen |
BEIN | Brunei, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste |
Fox | Belize, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama |
Fancode | Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka |
SportDigital | Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein, Switzerland |
Canal+ | Czech Republic, Slovakia |
ZorTV | Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan |
CBS | United States |
Eleven TV | Spain |
GO! | Malta |
GOAT | Brazil |
Huya | China |
Maincast | Ukraine |
Migu | China |
QazSport | Uzbekistan |
Rogers | Canada |
Sky Italia | Italy |
SKY NZ | New Zealand |
Sky Sports | United Kingdom |
Stan Sports | Australia |
TV4 | Sweden |
VG | Norway |
As always, supporters can follow the action across London City’s social channels throughout the evening.
What’s Next?
Team news drops at 6pm, before the 2026/27 Barclays Women’s Super League season officially gets underway at 7pm.
A sold-out Bromley.
Friday night under the lights.
London City against Manchester United.
A new season starts now.
COME ON LONDON CITY!
