Will Yagudina and Dyussembayeva continue to shine, and will Irtysh surprise us? What to know ahead of Matchweek IV in the Freedom QJ League W

Shakhtyor – Zhetysu

As noted by head coach Sergey Polenov, the Karaganda team is trying to improve with each game – and so far, after recovering from a heavy defeat in Pavlodar, the players are confidently progressing through the tournament with two consecutive victories.

So far, Shakhtyor midfielder Saida Dyussembayeva has scored in every round – will she be able to extend her streak in the upcoming match? And how will Zhetysu perform – should we expect a surprise from the team from Taldykorgan?

Irtysh – Astana

Despite the fact that the capital team has won all of its previous matches, and Irtysh suffered two defeats after a big victory in the opening game, this upcoming clash is far from straightforward.

The point is that in Matchweek III, Astana barely managed to beat Aktobe – a team sitting second to last and having scored just once in three games. Meanwhile, Irtysh’s losses came against strong opponents – Ordabasy and Kairat. Pavlodar head coach Kseniya Postovaya, following the defeat to the yellow and blacks, noted her team's progress. In her view, the girls lack experience and physical conditioning, but both will come with time. That’s why the upcoming match promises to be unpredictable – and therefore, exciting.

Ordabasy – Kairat

Kairat has won all of its previous matches with a big margin, but in Ordabasy, Oksana Kokhannaya’s team is likely to face a much tougher opponent. The Shymkent side, having confidently defeated both Aktobe and Irtysh without conceding a goal, clearly learned from their loss to Shakhter in the previous round – now it remains to be seen whether Yerbol Sarman’s plan will work against the league leaders.

The yellow and black's success will likely depend heavily on the performance of Sofia Yagudina – after three matchweeks, she already has 10 goal contributions (goals + assists).

Aktobe – Tobol

The women’s version of Kazakhstan’s El Clasico, as the matches between Aktobe and Tobol are often called, promises to be a tough challenge for both sides. In the previous round, Tobol secured a vital three points with a crushing win over Zhetisu, but now the team from Kostanay will need to prove that the eight unanswered goals against the Taldykorgan side weren’t just a one-off success.

Like Zhetisu, Aktobe has yet to earn any points. However, as mentioned earlier, Azamat Zhitpisbayev’s team nearly came away with a draw against Astana last week – a fairly solid result.