Chelsea and Crystal Palace go head-to-head on Sunday the 9th in the quarter-finals of the Women’s FA Cup. The visitors come in with a different head coach: Leif Smerud. He replaced Laura Kaminski. It will be Smerud’s first-time facing Sonia Bompastor’s unbeaten side so it will be interesting to see with what type of gameplan he will start. Let’s find out about the possible line-up, statistics and where you can watch Chelsea vs Crystal Palace.
Chelsea vs Crystal Palace: What the coach has to say & Team News
The possible line-ups are derived from previous match days. We take into consideration how strong the opponents are, what players are injured and of course team news before the match.
Team News Chelsea
The head coach gave an update on Kerr, Walsh and Girma:
“Sam is still working hard to come back. She was again with us in training sessions this week, still being protected. We don’t have a timeframe for her to come back in the squad. Naomi and Keira won’t be available for the game on Sunday, but we have a chance to have them next Saturday for the cup final.”
What the coach has to say:
Sonia Bompastor on facing a new manager: “They just changed manager, and he has only had one game with his team. I was analyzing that game, but we don’t know a lot about the way he wants the team to play and more information because he’s only been there for a week.
“It’s good to have some focus on Palace, but we focus most on ourselves. We just need to prepare for the game by focusing on ourselves.
“We always go into every game focusing on ourselves more than we do the opposition. But, for sure, sometimes we have some specific things you need to analyze to be ready going into the game. That will be the case on Sunday.”
Our prediction of the Starting IX for Chelsea vs Crystal Palace:
Hampton
Bronze
Bright
Björn
Charles
Kaptein
Cuthbert
Rytting Kaneryd
Macario
James
Ramírez
Team News Crystal Palace
Leif Smerud was asked about his approach and football philosophy: “I think it’s important to be brave. We are in a situation now where we have very little to lose, but it’s easy to start being scared. I think of those now, we need to try to fight. But there are many ways to hunt. You wouldn’t hunt the lion on an open field, but you need to find a way. We can’t control the outcomes, but we control what we do and how we approach it.”
What the coach has to say:
Leif Smerud on what Crystal Palace needs at this stage: “It’s been a rough season for the team. You come up, so it’s not unexpected to struggle to win games. It’s been close in quite a few games where they could have won it, but they didn’t. That’s really heavy mentally, to end up on the losing side often.
“When that happens, there is a sort of pressure. I think to come in and maybe change some perspective, to provide a clear – we do this now – can hopefully bring some direction. To get the enthusiasm and to take away the fear that will sneak in. You think about surviving. I said let’s try to think about fighting instead.”
Our prediction of the Starting IX for Crystal Palace against Chelsea:
Yanez
Riley
Swaby
Green
Woodham
Larkin
Cato
Potter
Blanchard
Larisey
Weerden
Chelsea vs Crystal Palace: Statistics
Chelsea and Crystal Palace faced off two times before. The first time was in the Women’s FA Cup in 2024. Palace kept Chelsea from scoring for most of the game until Ramírez netted the one and only goal in the 81st minute.
The most recent meeting was in the Women’s Super League this season. A totally different game, where Chelsea scored 7 goals. Will the new head coach Leif Smerud be able to find a way to deal with The Blues and their incredible form?
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I watch the Adobe Women’s FA Cup Chelsea vs Crystal Palace?
You can watch the Adobe Women’s FA Cup match Chelsea vs Crystal Palace live on the Women’s FA Cup YouTube.
When was the last meeting between Chelsea vs Crystal Palace?
The last meeting was on the 27th of September 2024. Chelsea won 7-0 with goals from Beever-Jones, Bronze, James, Reiten (2), Björn and Macario.
What is Chelsea vs Crystal Palace kick-off time?
Chelsea vs Crystal Palace kicks off on Sunday the 9th of March at 14:30 GMT at Kingsmeadow.