Manchester City Women have climbed to within touching distance of the Women's Super League's top three after a poor start to their season, and a pivotal three points are up for grabs on Sunday, when they travel to face Chelsea Women.
The reigning champions currently sit second, four points behind leaders Arsenal with a game in hand to their advantage, and they must not drop points this weekend, ahead of their clash with the Gunners on Friday.
Match preview
© Reuters
Emma Hayes's side enter Sunday's match in fine form, remaining unbeaten since the turn of the year, and progressing in both domestic cup competitions.
In midweek, Chelsea welcomed Manchester United to Kingsmeadow in the semi-final of the League Cup, and three goals in just over 10 minutes, from Pernille Harder, Jessie Fleming and Jessica Carter, at the end of the first half, sealed a 3-1 win for the Blues.
After FA Cup action last weekend, when Chelsea began their defence of that cup with a 3-1 win against Aston Villa, Hayes's side last played in the WSL over one week ago, when they secured a 2-0 win over West Ham United.
The Blues dominated that London derby, registering 10 shots on target, but Sunday's outing is expected to be more challenging, especially given Man City's recent improvement in form.
Hayes will know her side must collect three points this weekend to be able to apply the most pressure on Arsenal, and these next two games for Chelsea could determine their season.
© Reuters
Gareth Taylor's side won just two of their opening seven WSL matches, which left them with a mountain to climb to catch the top three, but they have majorly improved their position having put together a nine-game unbeaten run across all competitions.
Now sitting fifth, and four points behind rivals Manchester United, who occupy third spot, it is also an important weekend for the visitors, as they face the Red Devils next Sunday, and three points against the Blues could give them the opportunity to leapfrog Marc Skinner's side next weekend.
This game will be the third out of four times that these two teams will clash this season, as Man City also booked their place in the League Cup final in midweek, comfortably beating Tottenham Hotspur 3-0, thanks to goals from Jessica Park, Khadija Shaw and Lauren Hemp.
Last time out in the league, Taylor's side earned a point in their 1-1 draw against Arsenal, but the Citizens would have felt they could have taken maximum points, as Tobin Heath left it late to equalise for the table toppers.
In the reverse fixture, Chelsea dominated the Citizens, winning 4-0 at the academy stadium, but this encounter is certain to be a more tightly-fought affair, with Man City in more competitive form.
- W
- W
- W
- L
- D
- W
- L
- W
- D
- W
- W
- W
- L
- W
- W
- W
- W
- D
- W
- W
- W
- D
- W
- W
Team News
© Reuters
There are no new injury concerns for Hayes heading into this match, but they are boosted by the return of Samantha Kerr from international duty, while Ji So-Yun will continue to be absent as South Korea reached the final of the Asian Cup.
Magdalena Eriksson remains sidelined due to injury, meaning that the hosts' back three is likely to include Millie Bright, Carter and Aniek Nouwen.
Fran Kirby was rested in midweek, remaining on the bench for the whole match against Man United, but she is expected to return to the starting lineup, along with Kerr and Harder in attack.
Man City's injury list continues to be full, with Chloe Kelly, Karen Bardsley and Esme Morgan all sidelined and due to remain absent for a long period of time.
Taylor's side were boosted in midweek by the return of number one goalkeeper Ellie Roebuck, and she is expected to make her first WSL appearance of the season this weekend.
Captain Steph Houghton was missing from the squad due to injury for their League Cup triumph, but she is likely to come into the starting back four, alongside Alex Greenwood, Lucy Bronze and Demi Stokes.
Chelsea Women possible starting lineup:
Berger; Nouwen, Carter, Bright; Reiten, Ingle, Andersson, Cuthbert; Kirby, Kerr, Harder
Manchester City Women possible starting lineup:
Roebuck; Bronze, Greenwood, Houghton, Stokes; Stanway, Walsh, Losada; Hemp, Shaw, Beckie
We say: Chelsea Women 2-2 Manchester City Women
Both sides will be desperate to win this outing, which is why there could be a lot of goals at Kingsmeadow on Sunday, with both teams looking to attack the game.
However, that could mean they end up cancelling each other out, and with Chelsea and Man City in good form, neither side look like losing this match.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Chelsea Women win with a probability of 43.16%. A win for Manchester City Women had a probability of 34% and a draw had a probability of 22.8%.
The most likely scoreline for a Chelsea Women win was 2-1 with a probability of 8.78%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-0 (6.43%) and 2-0 (5.67%). The likeliest Manchester City Women win was 1-2 (7.7%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (9.95%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with a 6.4% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Chelsea Women would win this match.
