We’re now on Matchday 21, and somehow we’re already down to just two games remaining.
After months of twists, momentum swings, late winners, collapses and chaos, the season has reached its defining point. This penultimate weekend could decide the title race, the promotion picture and the relegation battle all at once.
At the top, Birmingham City and Charlton Athletic are level on points, with Crystal Palace sitting just three points behind and still very much in the hunt.
This weekend:
- Birmingham host relegation-threatened Ipswich
- Charlton travel to Southampton in the final game of the weekend
- Palace head to Sunderland knowing they may need favours elsewhere
At the bottom, things are just as tense.
Durham vs Sheffield United could be huge in the survival fight, while Portsmouth vs Nottingham Forest feels like a must-win game for Pompey if they want to avoid relegation.
And while they need plenty to go their way, Newcastle United still have faint promotion hopes alive and must beat Bristol City to stay in the conversation.
Here’s a full look ahead to the penultimate weekend.
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Durham vs Sheffield United
Sunday 26th April – Maiden Castle – 2pm
Durham head into this knowing exactly what is at stake.
Neil Redfearn’s side sit 10th and are just two points above bottom side Portsmouth, meaning survival is now the only priority.
Sheffield United are slightly better placed, and a win here would move them closer to safety while potentially closing the gap to Sunderland above them.
Durham’s final game before the international break showed exactly why they’re still fighting. They rescued a dramatic 2-2 draw against Bristol City thanks to Beth Hepple’s stoppage-time penalty after Hannah Blake had earlier scored.
There’s very little history between these sides, but what does exist favours Sheffield United.
They’ve won both previous meetings:
- 3-2 in the reverse league fixture earlier this season
- FA Cup win in January where Charlie Devlin scored twice
Hepple remains Durham’s biggest threat and is currently joint-top scorer in the league with eight goals.
Amy Andrews has also been one of Sheffield United’s biggest attacking threats.
Both sides struggle for goals and both concede at similar rates, which suggests this could be a tense, scrappy game where one moment decides everything.
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Birmingham City vs Ipswich Town
Sunday 26th April – St Andrew’s @ Knighthead Park – 2pm
This feels massive at both ends of the table.
Birmingham are top on goal difference and level on points with Charlton.
Crystal Palace are only three points behind.
There is absolutely no room for error.
A win would keep Birmingham in control heading into the final day.
Ipswich, meanwhile, are fighting for survival and desperately need points.
The reverse fixture was brutal for Ipswich, with Birmingham winning 4-0 and completely dominating the game.
Lily Crosthwaite continues to be one of the division’s standout players:
- 8 goals
- 6 assists
- Most goal contributions in the league
Veatriki Sarri has also been huge, while Rebecca Holloway has started every league game.
Ipswich’s biggest hope likely comes through Sophie Peskett.
The numbers heavily favour Birmingham:
- Most goals scored per game
- Most big chances created
- Most shots on target per game
Ipswich rank near the bottom in most attacking categories.
Everything points toward Birmingham dominating possession.
But pressure can do strange things late in the season.
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Bristol City vs Newcastle United
Sunday 26th April – Ashton Gate – 2pm
Bristol City’s promotion hopes are over.
Newcastle’s are barely alive.
That makes this simple for Newcastle:
Win or it’s over.
They sit five points behind Crystal Palace and need everything to go perfectly from here.
Before the break:
- Bristol drew 2-2 with Durham after conceding late
- Newcastle drew 1-1 with Nottingham Forest after scoring late
Recent meetings have been extremely close:
- One Bristol win
- One Newcastle win
- One draw
The reverse fixture ended 2-2.
Newcastle rely heavily on Emily Murphy and Jordan Nobbs.
Bristol arguably have more firepower with:
- Rio Hardy
- Lexi Lloyd-Smith
- Jessie Gale
All capable of hurting teams.
Newcastle need to chase this game.
That could leave spaces for Bristol to exploit.
This could be one of the most entertaining games of the weekend.
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Portsmouth vs Nottingham Forest
Sunday 26th April – Fratton Park – 2pm
This is probably Portsmouth’s biggest game of the season.
They’re bottom and running out of time.
Anything other than a win could leave them virtually down heading into the final weekend.
Forest are safe and sitting comfortably in midtable.
Their motivation is simply ending the season strongly.
The reverse fixture ended in a dominant 4-1 Forest win.
Pompey need goals from Meg Hornby.
Forest have plenty of attacking threats including:
- Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah
- Aimee Claypole
Forest are one of the better possession sides in the league.
Portsmouth have struggled badly both defensively and going forward.
But desperation makes games unpredictable.
Pompey have to treat this like a cup final.
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Sunderland vs Crystal Palace
Sunday 26th April – Stadium of Light – 2pm
Crystal Palace know exactly what’s on the line.
A win guarantees at least a playoff spot.
If Birmingham or Charlton slip up?
The title race gets even more chaotic.
Palace are in excellent form:
Unbeaten in six
Five wins in that run
Their latest win was a huge 1-0 result over Ipswich.
Ashleigh Weerden continues to be one of the best creators in the league:
Abbie Larkin and Kirsty Howat add even more firepower.
Sunderland are safe and can play without pressure.
That makes them dangerous.
They already proved that in the reverse fixture, which ended 1-1.
Palace should control possession.
But Sunderland could be awkward opposition.
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Southampton vs Charlton Athletic
Sunday 26th April – Silverlake Stadium – 4pm
And finally, the weekend closes with huge pressure on Charlton.
They’re level on points with Birmingham and only trail on goal difference.
If Birmingham win earlier in the day, Charlton will know they need a response.
If Birmingham drop points?
The pressure somehow gets even bigger.
Southampton are out of the promotion race but just smashed Sheffield United 5-2 before the international break.
Mary Bashford scored twice in that one and continues to grow in importance.
Charlton are built differently.
They have:
- The best defensive record in the league
- Just 0.9 goals conceded per game
- Eight clean sheets
Interestingly, they average just 40.5% possession.
They don’t dominate the ball.
They simply know how to win.
Southampton’s more open style could make this a fascinating matchup.
And if results go their way earlier in the day, this could become the biggest game of the entire season.
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Could be one of the biggest weekends the league has had in years.
