United Women's 2023/24 WSL fixtures: Five things we noticed

Our full list was released on Tuesday morning and it confirmed that Marc Sinner's side will play Aston Villa away and Chelsea at home on the first and last days of the new campaign respectively.

These matches are intriguing in their own right, as are other elements of our 2023/24 line-up.

So, here are five things that immediately stand out this year...

OPENING DAY AT VILLA PARK

United will take on Aston Villa in the very first match of the 2023/24 WSL season, at Villa Park on Sunday 1 October. Kick-off is at 12:30 BST and it is the first time our women's side will play at the Midlands club's main ground.

Both of our trips to the Villans in the previous term took place at the Bescot Stadium in Walsall, with the latter a thrilling 3-2 triumph for the Reds during the run-in of the league campaign.

WHEN WE PLAY THE PROMOTED TEAM

Bristol City won the Barclays Women's Championship last season and have subsequently returned to the WSL. Skinner's team will travel to the newly promoted side on the weekend of 25/26 November before the Robins visit the North West on 16/17 March.

The two sides have met in the top flight only three times before, with United winning our two most-recent clashes (1-0 and 6-1), after Bristol came out on top in the first-ever WSL fixture between the teams (1-0).

CHELSEA ON THE FINAL DAY, AGAIN

On the final day of the 2021/22 season, the Reds were defeated 4-2 by Chelsea at Kingsmeadow, as Emma Hayes's side clinched the WSL title of two years ago.

At the same stage of 2022/23, while not facing each other directly, United and Chelsea were going head-to-head for that very same accolade, which the Blues ultimately won by a mere two points to retain their crown.

In the upcoming season, a similar scenario may develop, with Skinner and Hayes set to compete once again in the WSL's final round of fixtures. Chelsea must travel north on the weekend of 18/19 May for both sides' last match of the 2023/24 season. This could well end up being another tantalising fixture, as it normally is.

SPACE BETWEEN THE 'BIG GAMES'

November and December 2022 saw United navigate a league schedule of Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City within the space of four matches, as well as overcoming Aston Villa in that timeframe - who ultimately went on to finish fifth in the WSL - at Old Trafford.

We faced Chelsea on 6 November, Arsenal on 19 November, Villa on 3 December and City on 11 December, but our fixture list for the new season doesn't include an instance of back-to-back meetings with two fellow sides that finished within the top-four positions in 2022/23. 

The trip to Villa and the home game against Arsenal in the opening two weeks does however see us kick off the campaign with intriguing contests against teams that both ended the previous term inside the top five.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE ROUND TWO

Our second-placed finish in the WSL last season means that the Reds must get through the second round of the UEFA Champions League to reach the group stage. The first leg of that forthcoming tie is set to take place on 10/11 October, while the second leg is pencilled in for 18/19 October.

Supporters, therefore, will be curious to see who United play in the league around those European dates. On the Sunday before the first leg, Skinner's team welcome Arsenal to Leigh Sports Village for a 12:00 BST kick-off.

Sandwiched between the first and second legs is our home clash with Leicester City on 14/15 October, with an away match against Everton to come on the weekend of 21/22 October. By the time that meeting with the Toffees arrives, United fans will know if the Reds have made it into to the Champions League group stage.

Now that the fixtures for the 2023/24 season have been released, why not get your United Women season ticket here!