Chelsea are set to face Manchester City in Saturday’s Subway Women’s League Cup final, with the clash coming as the first of their four meetings this month. Kick-off at Derby County’s Pride Park is scheduled for 12:15 GMT on Saturday 15 March.
Sonia Bompastor’s Blues are favourites heading into this final, with the side still unbeaten across all competitions this season. The Cityzens, however, have experienced some shaky form over the last couple of months, and their most recent addition to the squad is interim manager Nick Cushing who is now back at the club, after Gareth Taylor was sacked on Monday.
The Stats
The last time the two sides met was in November 2024, at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea claimed a 2-0 win, with second half goals coming courtesy of Mayra Ramirez and Guro Reiten.
In the semi-final round of the Subway Women’s League Cup, Chelsea saw off West Ham in a comfortable 2-0 win, with first-half goals from Johanna Rytting Kaneryd and Sjoeke Nüsken to earn their place in the final.
City faced Arsenal in North London and won the tie through late drama in the last seconds of the game; the final score in that tie was 2-1 to the visitors, with a penalty from Arsenal’s Mariona Caldentey, but Mary Fowler scored her double in the 95th minute, just before the final whistle.
The last time Manchester City took part in the final of this competition was in 2021/22, when they won 3-1 against Chelsea. The Londoners reached the final at Molineux last season, though they were narrowly beaten in extra time. Their last trophy in the Women’s League Cup came in 2020/21.
Team News
Chelsea are without Naomi Girma, Maelys Mpome, Guro Reiten and Keira Walsh on Saturday. There are no other changes to availability within Bompastor’s squad.
City are without German international Rebecca Knaak, who sustained a hamstring injury while on international duty. Long-term injuries to Alex Greenwood and Lauren Hemp mean that they will also not be available for this weekend, but both are moving closer to a return to action. Aoba Fujino is back on the team sheet after being absent from City’s most recent outing in the FA Cup against Aston Villa.
TV Guide
The fourteenth Women’s League Cup final will kick off at 12:15 GMT on Saturday 15 March and will be streamed on BBC One.
FromTheSpot Prediction
Chelsea have been dominating all season and while the appointment of Nick Cushing makes this an unpredictable affair, we envisage a close affair – but one that will see Chelsea come out on top. This has the potential to be a close game, and we predict a 2-1 win for Bompastor’s side.