WSL 2025/26: Reading Women’s Survival or Bristol City Women’s Upset?
WSL 2025/26: Reading Women’s Survival or Bristol City Women’s Upset? Let’s go, you fighters! I’m a women’s footy fan hyped for the WSL 2025/26 clash on October 4 at the Select Car Leasing Stadium—Reading Women vs. Bristol City Women. Reading, 10th last year with 25 points under Kelly Chambers, boast Charlie Wellings’ 5 goals, while Bristol, 11th with 22, lean on Amalie Thestrup’s 4 strikes. This ain’t just a match—it’s a relegation battle, and I’m backing Reading! Last season, Reading won 1-0, but Bristol’s 2-1 in 2023 showed fight. Reading’s 4-3-3 presses well, while Bristol’s 4-2-3-1 with Thestrup’s hold-up play might frustrate. X buzzes: ‘Reading to hold!’ vs. ‘Bristol’s shock!’ Their 2025 form—Reading 2 wins in 4, Bristol 1 in 5—suggests a scrap. I predict a 1-0 Reading win, unless Thestrup’s aerial threat—58% duels—sparks a draw. Stats favor Reading. Wellings’ 5 goals from 9 shots (56%) tops Thestrup’s 4 from 7 (57%). Defensively, Brooke Chaplen’s 2 assists edge Ella Powell’s 1. Their 3 home wins in 2024/25 beat Bristol’s 2, but away form—1 each—levels it. I’ve watched their 2024 1-1, and this feels winnable. History’s young. Since 2018, Reading lead 3-2 in 7, with 2023’s 2-0 a highlight. Their 2025 streaks—Reading 1, Bristol 0—promise intensity. This is their season. I say Wellings’ strike wins it—prove me right, Reading! Their 4,000 crowd will lift them, but Bristol’s counter—1 goal in 2025—could bite.