Having each registered dominant wins over lower league opponents in the FA Cup at the weekend, Manchester City and Chelsea will turn their focus to another knockout tie on Wednesday.
The winner will meet Manchester United or Arsenal for the final at Ashton Gate on the 15th March.
City and Chelsea became extremely familiar with each other last season, opposing one another in four consecutive games. One of these was the 2025 League Cup Final where Chelsea won their first of three trophies last year.
Manchester City
Andrée Jeglertz confirmed that Brazilian winger Kerolin will miss the match due to a minor injury which also kept her out on Sunday. She was the last City player to score against Chelsea in the WSL meeting at The Etihad last season.
Absent forward Kerolin put her side ahead against Chelsea last season. Source: Jess Hornby - The FA.
Long term absentee Mary Fowler has returned to training after suffering an ACL injury in April last year. She will return to the City squad soon, whether she can play a part on Wednesday or not remains to be seen.
Additionally, Sydney Lohmann is back in training, having been absent from the squad since City returned to action after the winter break.
City have also been busy in the January transfer market, adding Sam Coffey to their midfield. The American international could make her debut in the upcoming cup tie.
Chelsea
The Chelsea squad on Wednesday is likely to be the same as the one that beat Crystal Palace 5-0 on Saturday to advance in the FA Cup, although Aggie Beever-Jones could be fit in time to join them.
Beever-Jones scored in the League Cup quarter-final vs Liverpool before limping off with an injury. Source: Jess Hornby - WSL.
Sonia Bompastor said that former City player Keira Walsh is close to a return but will not be ready to take part on Wednesday.
Niamh Charles will also be absent but the Chelsea boss appeared hopeful that she will be available soon, meanwhile Cat Macario may be out for longer as she continues to suffer from discomfort in her heel.
Nathalie Björn has not played for club or country since Sweden lost their playoff for third place in the Nations League against France. She is unlikely to return before March as she recovers from a hamstring injury.
Likely lineups
Manchester City (4-2-3-1): Yamashita; Greenwood, Knaak, Rose, Casparij; Hasegawa, Blindkilde; Hemp, Miedema, Fujino; Shaw
Chelsea (3-4-2-1): Hampton; Buurman, Bright, Girma; Baltimore, Nüsken, Cuthbert, Carpenter; Thompson, Kaptein; Kerr.
Key players
Manchester City - Bunny Shaw
It is difficult to talk about City without the Jamaican striker and club record goalscorer, Shaw.
She has already scored 12 WSL goals, twice as many as any other player in the league and has additionally provided four assists.
Shaw has picked up the Golden Boot for the past two WSL seasons and came close to breaking the WSL scoring record, set by teammate Vivianne Miedema, in 2023/24.
Shaw recently scored her 100th Manchester City goal. Source: Charlotte Tattersall - WSL.
Outside of the impressive goal threat she offers, her hold-up play is also crucial to City and will be particularly important against a physical side like Chelsea.
Chelsea - Alyssa Thompson
Thompson has been in excellent goalscoring form for the Blues and has scored the joint most goals (4) for Chelsea in the WSL - alongside Beever-Jones.
The young American forward was announced to the Stamford Bridge crowd on the opening day of the season when Manchester City visited West London.
Thompson signed for Chelsea at the beginning of September. Source: Chris Lee - Chelsea FC.
Her electric pace has stood out since she arrived in England meaning she is a major threat for Chelsea, allowing them to play a more direct style at times.
Across all competitions she has six goals and two assists for Chelsea, as well as playing an important role for the USA in their recent friendlies.
Match details
Where is the game being played?
Joie Stadium, Manchester
What time is kick-off?
7pm (UK time)
How can I watch?
The match will be shown live on Sky Sports Mix, BBC iPlayer and on the WSL YouTube channel.