Finally the WSL  returns this weekend after the Christmas break and I can honestly say I am looking forward to being able to watch a few games on the TV however, I am more excited to be heading over to Leigh Sports Village to watch Manchester United vs Liverpool. It feels like it has been too long since we were last at LSV and this game should be a good one as with big fixtures elsewhere in the league this weekend Manchester United have a good chance to close that gap at the top of the table. With the London derby clash between Arsenal and Chelsea this weekend their is going to points dropped from either one or both of those top 2 teams which means if United get a result from their game against Liverpool they will really be narrowing the gap at the top. 

Manchester United are going into this game after a good warm weather training camp where they beat Birkirkara 10-0 in a friendly with players really putting a good effort in after the festive period showing just what they were capable of. United are doing really well this season and we are seeing some top performances from the whole team, there isn't just one player scoring for the team there is a nice mixture and everyone is having an impact which is definitely going to help them as they try to secure Champions League football next season which they are more than capable of doing. United have won 3 of their last 5 games, one was that huge victory over Arsenal at the Emirates and the other was the big victory over Aston Villa at Old Trafford, the third was a nice 3-0 victory over Everton, United definitely have the goals in them but how many are we going to see on Sunday? With only 1 game lost this season so fan United fans have been spoilt with brilliant performances and this weekend has the potential to be no different.

You can't write Liverpool off too soon though the side might be newly promoted however, they have the potential to cause an upset. They certainly caused that upset in their first game back in the league when they beat league holders Chelsea, something I don't think any of us expected to see, they are definitely showing the rest of the league they are not to be underestimated too as they have drawn 2 of their last 5 games with both those games being 3-3 draws, they have the goals in them so are we going to see a few from them this weekend to upset United or are United going to prove to be too strong? I can't wait to see how the game goes. Liverpool are definitely doing better than I expected this season, I thought they would struggle to get going in the top flight again but that hasn't been the case due to the strong team they entered the league with and this transfer window we have already seen them bring in 2 new signings, one of them being Gemma Bonner who is returning to the WSL after a spell Stateside. Bonner is a fantastic player and adding her to the defensive line up is definitely going to strengthen that area and help keep the opposition at bay. If she gets some game time on Sunday she could be a really beneficial addition and could really help stop those United attacks. 

In terms of ones to watch in this game for United a key player is going to be right back Ona Batlle, who is having a fantastic season so far and is really showing WSL fans just what she is capable. The young Spanish right back is key in creating chances for United with the ability to attack and track back quickly putting in some great challenges to stop the opposition in their tracks. She is also great at getting the ball into the box for her teammates to attack but watch out as she has a goal in her too as we saw against Aston Villa. As for Liverpool the one to watch for me is certainly Katie Stengel, I used to love watching Katie in the NWSL and I am looking forward to actually getting to watch her play properly. The forward can really trouble the opposition which we have seen plenty of times already this season and I think she has the potential to cause problems for the United this weekend, as much as I would love to see United win I would also love to see Stengel on the score sheet. 

This weekend has the makings of being a big weekend in the WSL and I am looking forward to seeing how the table stands after all the games are played as we could see a bit of movement in the positioning by the end of Sunday. Now get me to LSV as I can't wait to watch this Man Utd vs Liverpool game, lets hope it is a good one and the weather doesn't effect the game in anyway.