Key events
There’s a busy programme in the WSL and Championship today, with third-placed Manchester City hosting fifth-placed Liverpool and key relegation tussle between Brighton and Bristol City among the biggies. In the Championship the leaders, Charlton, have just kicked off at home to Blackburn.
Here’s a scene re-setter:
Today’s teams
Just a place on the bench for Beever-Jones today, mind, with Emma Hayes going with Lauren James, Guto Reiten and Mia Fishel in attack. New signing Nathalie Bjorn makes her debut in defence.
Chelsea: Hampton; Lawrence, Buchanan, Bjorn, Charles, Leupolz, Cuthbert, Kaneryd, James, Reiten, Fishel. Subs: Musovic, Ingle, Nusken, Carter, Kirby, Perisset, Mjelde, Cankovic, Beever-Jones.
Manchester United: Earps; Riviere, Le Tissier, Turner, Blundell, Ladd, Zelem, García, Toone, Galton, Geyse. Subs: Guerrero, Evans, Naalsund, Parris, Williams, Tullis-Joyce.
Pre-match reading: Kerr’s absence will of course require others to step up, such as Aggie Beever-Jones, Chelsea through and through, who’s had a decent season already, scoring at Stamford Bridge against Liverpool, which fulfilled something of a dream. She’s had a sit-down with Suzanne Wrack:
“I did a knee slide as well. I don’t think I even dreamt as a kid of doing a knee slide at Stamford Bridge. I’m just so happy with everything at the moment and I’ve got to keep doing what I’m doing.”
Preamble
Morning everyone, and it’s a warm welcome back to the WSL. It feels as if plenty has changed since the league signed off for its winter break before Christmas with Chelsea on a roll both domestically and in Europe, and looking set to stride clear towards another WSL title. Then calamity struck Emma Hayes’s squad with Sam Kerr’s ACL injury, which, alongside Millie Bright’s continued absence, encouraged a certain amount of talking-up of their rivals’ chances of capitalising. But any team with a frontline boasting Lauren James, Guto Reiten and Fran Kirby is not going to lack attacking menace. They remain the best team in the land but are not, as Arsenal proved thrillingly before Christmas, an infallible one. And they have the Gunners breathing down their necks once again after Jonas Eidevall’s side saw off Everton yesterday
Manchester United have never beaten Chelsea in the WSL, and have their work cut out to achieve a top-three place this term. Marc Skinner’s side also have their own injury concerns, with Hinata Miyazawa, Gabby George and Aoife Mannion among those missing today. They did, however, cruise past Newcastle in the FA Cup last weekend in a confidence-boosting manner.
And we’re at Stamford Bridge for today’s match, with more than 20,000 tickets sold, as Chelsea look to drag their best crowds closer to Arsenal’s. There’s plenty to look forward to here. Go nowhere.
Kick-off: 12.30pm GMT
