MatchWSL: Eight stats to know ahead of Liverpool v Leicester

Matt Beard’s team get the new Barclays Women’s Super League campaign under way by hosting the Foxes at St Helens Stadium on Sunday (2pm BST kick-off).

The Reds will be aiming to pick up where they left off, having secured fourth place last term with a strong winning run to conclude 2023-24.

See some of the key facts and figures about the encounter with Leicester, provided by Opta, below…

Liverpool recorded a WSL double over the Foxes last season, winning 2-1 at home and 4-0 away.

Only Arsenal (nine) and Chelsea (seven) have won their opening game of a WSL season more often than the Reds (six – excluding Spring Series).

Liverpool have won four of their five such matches in the competition under Beard across his two spells in charge.

The Reds won each of their final four league games last season and could win five matches in a row in the Women’s Super League for just the second time, after also doing so across their title-winning campaigns of 2013 and 2014 (eight in a row).

A third (12 out of 36) of Liverpool’s goals in the WSL last season were from headers.

Leicester registered the second-highest duels won percentage in the division in 2023-24 (52.6 per cent), which was bettered only by champions Chelsea (54 per cent).

• Get your tickets for Sunday's WSL clash with Leicester here

Grace Fisk was the only Reds player to start all 22 league games last term. Sam Tierney was the sole player to do so for Leicester.

Leicester’s Jutta Rantala was the only player in the WSL last season to finish as both her club’s top goalscorer and leading assist provider (six goals, five assists).