🏏 Sat, 19 Sep 2026 12:30 BST
Charlton Athletic W
vs
London City Lionesses
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- Newly promoted Charlton arrive 13th after two straight defeats, still without a point and with a goal difference of -5 from no goals scored and five conceded. London City Lionesses sit seventh on three points from one win and one loss, with a goal difference of zero. With Manchester City already pulling clear on nine points from three games, both sides need an early foothold in the table.
- Charlton were beaten 4-0 at home by Liverpool on the opening weekend, then lost 1-0 away at Everton in round two, leaving them without a league goal so far. The Lionesses opened with a 2-1 home win over Manchester United but were beaten 2-1 at West Ham in round two, so neither side arrives with momentum.
- London City's summer spending headlines the away side's squad. Grace Geyoro, a 29-year-old France international with 102 caps, arrived from PSG for a reported world-record fee of around one million euros after 270 appearances and 54 goals as captain in Paris. Kadidiatou Diani, 31, joined from Lyon for over 500,000 pounds having won the Silver Boot at the 2023 World Cup and finished as Champions League top scorer in 2023-24.
- The visitors' midfield pairs 32-year-old Alexia Putellas, signed from Barcelona, with 35-year-old Danielle van de Donk, a former Arsenal and Lyon player who was central to the Netherlands' Euro 2017 triumph and still offers both creativity and goals. Charlton's answer is Emily van Egmond, the 33-year-old Australia international with 163 caps who won back-to-back Bundesliga titles at Wolfsburg.
- London City's back line has a distinctly Barcelona flavour. Hanna Fernandez, 24, spent from the age of 12 in the Barcelona academy and made 94 appearances while winning five consecutive Liga F titles; alongside her are Mapi Leon, 31, formerly of Atletico Madrid and Barcelona, and 21-year-old Netherlands centre-back Isa Cardinaal, an Ajax product who debuted in the Eredivisie at 16. Charlton, still goalless after two rounds, face a stern test.
- Charlton defender Fitzgerald meets a former club. She joined from London City Lionesses and was part of the meanest defence in the division last season, helping the club win promotion through the play-offs. She starts on the bench here, so the interest lies in how she copes with her old teammates' attack if introduced.
- The goalkeeping duel is worth watching. Charlton's Whitehouse won the WSL2 Golden Glove and anchored the league's best defensive record on the way to promotion via the play-offs. At the other end stands Elene Lete, the 173cm Spanish goalkeeper, with 33-year-old England international Mary Earps, a former Manchester United and PSG keeper, waiting on the bench.
- Charlton's summer recruits are worth tracking too. Leah Davidson, 25, starts in midfield after six years at Melbourne City, where she collected titles including three straight A-League Women championships. The bench holds Lorena Azzaro, a 25-year-old forward who scored eight goals in 20 French top-flight games for Paris FC in 2025-26, and Keira Flannery, signed permanently from West Ham on a three-year deal.
- London City's attacking depth extends to the bench. Germany international Nicole Anyomi, 26, arrived this summer on a four-year contract after 130 games and 60 goals across five seasons at Eintracht Frankfurt, with a Euro 2022 runners-up medal and Olympic bronze from Paris 2024. Nikita Parris, 32, a Euro 2022 winner with England who has played for Lyon, Arsenal and Manchester City, brings explosive pace off the bench.