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Vivianne Miedema will return to the Emirates on the opening weekend of the Women’s Super League (WSL) season as Arsenal host Manchester City to start the 2024-25 season.
Miedema made the move to Arsenal’s league rivals after seven years at the club upon the expiry of her contract, penning a three-year deal with City.
Her first league game in a City shirt will be at her former home, Emirates Stadium, on Sept. 22. She will play against Arsenal for the first time since 2017, when Miedema was part of Bayern Munich, who lost 3-1 to Arsenal during a preseason friendly.
Chelsea won their fifth consecutive WSL title last term to bid farewell to former manager Emma Hayes, who became the new head coach of the United States women’s national team. Facing Aston Villa at home will be Sonia Bompastor, the Blues’ new manager’s first game in charge.
Manchester City levelled Chelsea’s points at the end of last season but narrowly missed out on their first title since 2016 on goal difference after Chelsea put six goals past Manchester United to close the season.
United manager Marc Skinner signed a new one-year deal to remain in his post despite the club finishing in fifth last season, their lowest finish since earning promotion in 2019. They will host West Ham United to open the season but face a tricky end-of-season. They face Chelsea (home), City (home) and Arsenal (away) in their final three games of the season.
Newly promoted Crystal Palace will play their first WSL London derby to begin their tenure in the top flight as they travel to Tottenham Hotspur. Everton begin their campaign against Brighton, while Liverpool will host Leicester City in their first game at their new home, St Helen’s Stadium.
Arsenal are set to host 11 matches at Emirates Stadium this season. Eight of these will be WSL and if Arsenal qualify for the Champions League, the remaining three will be Champions League group-stage matches.
They face Rangers next month in the first game of the first qualifying round, and if victorious, they will play either Atlético Madrid or Rosenborg for a place in the second qualifying round, where Manchester City enter the competition. Arsenal exited the competition during the first qualifying phase last season.
Chelsea, who automatically qualified for the Champions League after winning the WSL last season, will play three home games at Stamford Bridge. Aston Villa also announced that they will move to Villa Park permanently for the 2024-25 season, playing all of their home games at the main stadium instead of the non-league ground Bescot Stadium.
Arsenal defeated Chelsea 4-1 in December last season to hand the west London side their biggest league loss in five seasons. This campaign, the fixture falls on Oct. 13, while the reverse fixture is set for Jan. 26, the second game back after the winter break.
Tottenham host the first North London derby on Nov. 17, with the reverse set to take place at the Emirates Stadium on March 30. City will host the first Manchester Derby on Jan. 15, with the second falling on the penultimate weekend of the WSL, on May 4.