Sheffield United Ladies: 22 league matches in the bank, all from last season. Leicester City WFC: 22 league matches in the bank, all from last season in the Women's Super League.
The question this step asks
Step one is THE TABLE: rank against rank, and the blocks -- the table cut into a top, middle and bottom block, drawn from last season's final standings. The question is not just where each side stands but how it behaves against the company the other keeps: does it play to rank against the blocks above and below, or come apart?
The two sides
Sheffield United Ladies -- at home
Where it stands
Has not played a league game yet this season, so the current table says nothing about it. Last season it finished 11th of 12 in this division.
Its block
By last season's final table it sits in the bottom block (9th to 12th). Blocks are drawn from last season because its season has not started yet.
Against today's opponent's block
Today it faces a side new to its division, and none of the matches we hold were against that block -- nothing to read.
Across all the blocks
Across the blocks, over the last two seasons: against the top block won 1, drew 2, lost 5 of 8 (0.62 a game); against the middle block won 0, drew 4, lost 4 of 8 (0.50 a game); against the bottom block won 3, drew 0, lost 3 of 6 (1.50 a game).
Leicester City WFC -- away
Where it stands
Has not played a league game yet this season, so the current table says nothing about it. It was not in this division last season -- it came down from the Women's Super League, where it finished 12th of 12.
Its block
New to the division this season, so it takes no block from last season's final table.
Against today's opponent's block
Today it faces a side from the bottom block (9th to 12th). Against that block it has won 1, drew 2, lost 3 of 6 -- 5 points of 18. At home against them: won 1 of 3. Away against them: won 0 of 3.
Across all the blocks
Across the blocks, over the last two seasons: against the top block won 0, drew 0, lost 8 of 8 (0.00 a game); against the middle block won 1, drew 1, lost 6 of 8 (0.50 a game); against the bottom block won 1, drew 2, lost 3 of 6 (0.83 a game).
Built 00:09 from matches completed before
kick-off. Every figure is an observed count with its denominator —
not a forecast, and nothing here is a tip or a selection.