This weekend sees history made in women’s football as Chelsea and Manchester United meet in the Women’s FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium. The match will be a historic occasion, with a record crowd for any women’s club in England expected at the home of English football.
The two teams come into the match in contrasting form. Marc Skinner’s Manchester United are currently leading the Women’s Super League and will be looking to maintain their impressive form in their FA Cup final debut. Meanwhile, Chelsea are bidding for a third consecutive FA Cup triumph and come into the final off the back of a midweek league victory over Leicester City.
Both teams have injury concerns coming into the match. Chelsea will be without Fran Kirby, who has been ruled out for the rest of the season with injury, but should have Sam Kerr in contention. Manchester United are without Maria Thorisdottir, but Lisa Naalsund has been back in training this week, while Katie Zelem returns to captain the side after missing last weekend’s win over Tottenham through suspension.
The predicted line-ups for the match suggest that Chelsea will start with a strong attacking line-up, with Harder, James, and Kerr in front of midfielders Cuthbert, Leupolz, and Reiten. Manchester United, meanwhile, are expected to start with Parris, Toone, and Galton up front, supported by midfielders Ladd and Zelem.
The bookmakers have Chelsea as favourites to claim a third successive FA Cup triumph, but both teams will be confident of victory in what promises to be a thrilling encounter. The match is due to kick off at 2.30pm BST on Sunday 14 May and will be broadcast live on BBC One in the UK, with coverage starting from 1.50pm BST.
Regardless of the outcome, the Women’s FA Cup final promises to be a landmark occasion for women’s football in England, as two of the country’s top teams go head-to-head at Wembley Stadium. With so much at stake, fans of both teams will be eagerly anticipating what promises to be a thrilling encounter, and a celebration of the growing stature of women’s football in England.
