Birmingham City Women: 25 league matches in the bank, 3 from this season and the rest from last season in the Women's Championship. Crystal Palace Ladies: 25 league matches in the bank, 3 from this season and the rest from last season in the Women's Championship.
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
Birmingham City Women -- at home
Where it stands
Stands 12th of 14 after 3 games, with 1 point -- too few games yet to mean much. It was not in this division last season -- it came up from the Women's Championship, where it finished 1st 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 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 3, drew 0, lost 5 of 8 (1.12 a game); against the middle block won 5, drew 2, lost 2 of 9 (1.89 a game); against the bottom block won 6, drew 1, lost 1 of 8 (2.38 a game).
Crystal Palace Ladies -- away
Where it stands
Stands 8th of 14 after 3 games, with 4 points -- too few games yet to mean much. It was not in this division last season -- it came up from the Women's Championship, where it finished 2nd 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 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 5, drew 1, lost 1 of 7 (2.29 a game); against the middle block won 4, drew 4, lost 2 of 10 (1.60 a game); against the bottom block won 5, drew 1, lost 2 of 8 (2.00 a game).
Built 00:05 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.