The Danske Bank Women’s Premiership continues on Wednesday night with the eighth round of action.
After last season’s shortened campaign due to the pandemic, this season sees a full restoration with each of the sides in the top-flight playing each other four times.
The game of the matchday sees the top two go head-to-head at Ashfield Boys Schools as league leaders Cliftonville Ladies look to maintain their 100 percent start to the season with a trip to Glentoran Women - two points further back, who have played a game more.
Elsewhere, Sion Swifts Ladies will look to get their first win over the campaign as they travel to Crusaders Strikers - it is Ryan McConville’s first match in the dugout for the visitors.
Linfield Ladies will be looking to get their first points on the road this season with a trip to Derry City Women.
Derry City Women v Linfield Ladies
Linfield have won all 12 previous meetings against the Candystripes, scoring 78 goals in the process and conceding just once.
They were given a major scare by Kevin McLaughlin’s side last month when Derry opened the scoring in the second half at New Midgely Park, but the Blues did recover to win 3-1.
Linfield have lost their last three games and will be keen to halt that run of results at the Brandywell, but will face a resurgent Derry side.
Glentoran Women v Cliftonville Ladies
This keenly anticipated match pits the top two together and may go a long way to deciding the destination of this season’s Danske Bank Women’s Premiership title.
The Glens took a two-goal early lead at Solitude last month but a remarkable turnaround from the Reds saw them run out 4-2 winners - ending a nine-game winless run of theirs in this fixture.
A Glentoran victory here would take them top of the league by a point, but Cliftonville - who have won every game this season - would still have a game in hand.
Crusaders Strikers v Sion Swifts Ladies
Sion announced the appointment of new head coach Ryan McConville earlier this week and this will be his first game back in the Danske Bank Women’s Premiership since guiding Linfield to their first league title.
McConville inherits a team who sit at the foot of the table and have just one point this season, with a trip to Seaview to face the Strikers one of the toughest games in the division.
Games between these two sides are usually tight - the Strikers took four points from the two meetings last season but Sion had won five on the bounce before that, with five of the last 11 clashes ending in stalemates - including a 2-2 draw at Melvin earlier this season, when Sion twice came from behind to secure their only point of the campaign to date.
