Birmingham City Women welcome Crystal Palace Women to St Andrew’s on Sunday afternoon for a meeting between two sides who both made the step up to the Barclays Women’s Super League this season.

The fixture represents an important early-season opportunity for both clubs, with Birmingham looking for their first league victory since returning to the top flight and Palace aiming to respond after a difficult afternoon against Tottenham last weekend.

Birmingham have taken one point from their opening three league games. Amy Merricks' side began their campaign with a 3-1 defeat away to Manchester City before drawing 2-2 with Brighton at St Andrew’s. They then suffered a 2-0 defeat away to Chelsea last weekend. The Blues also had a midweek cup fixture to contend with, losing 2-0 away at Everton on Wednesday.

Despite the results, Birmingham have already shown signs that they can compete at WSL level. The 2-2 draw with Brighton was particularly significant, with the Blues scoring twice in front of their home supporters.

After winning the WSL2 title last season, Birmingham have strengthened their squad with players possessing top-flight experience. Among those additions are former Manchester United midfielder Lisa Naalsund, former Manchester United defender Millie Turner, Canada international Marie Levasseur and goalkeeper Sophie Baggaley. 

That experience could prove valuable in a fixture which carries greater importance than a normal early-season game.

Crystal Palace arrive in Birmingham with four points from their first three league matches.  Jo Potter's side opened their campaign with a 1-0 home victory over Everton before holding Arsenal to a goalless draw at the Emirates. However, Palace endured a difficult afternoon last Sunday, suffering a 7-0 home defeat against Tottenham Hotspur. 

The Eagles responded in midweek, beating Watford 1-0 in the Players Cup on Wednesday.  That victory gives Palace the chance to build some momentum again, although the trip to Birmingham presents a very different challenge from their midweek cup fixture.

Like Birmingham, Palace are adjusting to life in the expanded 14-team WSL after winning promotion from the second tier. The two clubs therefore know each other well from their recent battles in the WSL2.

There is an intriguing symmetry to Sunday's fixture.  Both clubs earned promotion to the WSL last season, and both are attempting to establish themselves in the division. Birmingham won the WSL2 title, while Palace also secured promotion, making this one of the early fixtures where the two sides can measure themselves directly against a fellow promoted club.

For Birmingham, home advantage could be particularly important. The Blues have made St Andrew’s their women's team's home since 2021, and the ground has already hosted a club-record women's attendance of 8,749.

Palace, meanwhile, will be determined to put last weekend's heavy defeat behind them.

The challenge now is turning those opportunities into goals consistently against WSL opposition.  Palace demonstrated during their opening two league matches that they can be difficult to break down, keeping clean sheets against Everton and Arsenal. The seven goals conceded against Tottenham, however, will make defensive solidity a particular focus heading into this game. 

This could be one of the more revealing games of the early WSL season.

Birmingham will have the advantage of playing at home and will be looking to turntheir encouraging moments into a first league win. Palace have already demonstrated that they can pick up results against established WSL opposition, but their response to the Tottenham defeat will be closely watched.

With both sides likely to see this as an important fixture in their efforts to establish themselves in the division, the atmosphere at St Andrew’s should add another dimension to an intriguing encounter.