Chelsea vs Man City LIVE: Changes for each groups forward of essential Women’s Champions League conflict
Chelsea host Manchester City for the second leg of their Women’s Champions League clash knowing that anything but a strong victory could send them out of the competition.
The two sides have played one another in each of their last three fixtures with Chelsea winning 2-1 twice, in the League Cup final and the Women’s Super League, while City took a 2-0 victory from the first leg of this tie at Joie Stadium in Manchester.
Vivianne Miedema scored both goals in last week’s encounter to give her team a significant advantage. Chelsea will need to score at least three goals to progress as well as keep a clean sheet against a City team with a potent forward line.
Erin Cuthbert’s 91st minute strike was needed to defeat City in the WSL but despite the narrow margin of the results so far Bompastor is confident her team can make it through. She said: “Anything is possible and we have the quality in the squad to turn it around.”
Follow all the updates from the Women’s Champions League with our live blog below:
Man City prepared for ‘the most motivated, aggressive form of Chelsea’
Nick Cushing says Man City are prepared to face “the most motivated, aggressive form of Chelsea” in tonight’s Champions League quarter-final second leg.
“We know how important this competition is for Chelsea. We know what a great team they are,” Cushing said ahead of his latest encounter with Sonia Bompastor, a Champions League winner as a player and coach with Lyon.
“We know that Chelsea are going to be incredibly up for the game, incredibly motivated.
“When you bring in a manager that’s previously won the Champions League, from the most successful women’s team that has ever played the game, you’re making your intentions known that the Champions League is probably the aim.”
Alex Greenwood says Man City players in ‘shock’ at Gareth Taylor departure
City have had the added disruption of a new manager coming in just before this run of four fixtures against Chelsea, with Nick Cushing coming back in to replace Gareth Taylor, who was sacked on the eve of the League Cup final.
Cushing will be hoping the slightly-delayed new manager bounce will come into play as his side hope to build on their two-goal advantage from last week.
How to watch
Viewers in the UK can watch tonight’s clash on TNT Sports or discovery+, or for free via the DAZN YouTube channel.
Kick-off is at 8pm, with live coverage from 7.30pm.
Team news – Chelsea
And five changes for Chelsea: Erin Cuthbert is rewarded for her 91st-minute winner off the bench at the weekend with a starting berth, while Keira Walsh also comes into the starting XI after a substitute appearance.
Nathalie Bjorn and Sandy Baltimore return to the back four and Aggie Beever-Jones is replaced up front by Mayra Ramirez.
Chelsea XI: Hampton; Bronze, Bjorn, Bright (c), Baltimore; Cuthbert, Walsh; Rytting-Kaneryd, Kaptein, James; Ramirez
Substitutes: Spencer, Cox, Lawrence, Charles, Nusken, Jean-Francois, Macario, Hamano, Brown, Beever-Jones
Team news – Manchester City
Three changes for City from their last meeting with Chelsea in the WSL, as Leila Ouahabi, Lily Murphy and Mary Fowler come into the side, while Aleixandri and Hasegawa are both fit to start.
City XI: Keating, Casparij, Prior, Aleixandri (C), Ouahabi, Hasegawa, Roord, Miedema, Kerolin Nicoli, Murphy, Fowler.
Substitutes: Startup, Layzell, Coombs, Wienroither, Park.
Bunny Shaw and Aoba Fujino ruled out of return leg
And more… Manchester City’s record scorer Khadija Shaw and forward Aoba Fujino have been ruled out of tonight’s second leg at Stamford Bridge. The pair have been sidelined since picking up injuries in the League Cup defeat to Chelsea.
“It’s not been ideal over the last two weeks to lose Bunny Shaw and Aoba Fujino, but you look at the group, they’re still training incredibly hard,” said interim boss Nick Cushing, who has also been without Lauren Hemp and Alex Greenwood.
“I still see the belief. Across the three games I thought we had an incredible threat. I know we will tomorrow night.”
Team news incoming
We’re expecting team news soon, with both sides expected to make changes.
Nathalie Bjorn, Sandy Baltimore, Keira Walsh, Mayra Ramirez and Erin Cuthbert could all make their way back into the starting XI for Chelsea, while Laia Aleixandri and Yui Hasegawa are doubts for the visitors after they were both forced off at the weekend.
Laura Blindkilde-Brown is expected to miss the rest of the season for City after injuring her ankle in training, and injured keeper Ayaka Yamashita will miss out after featuring in the first leg, with Khiara Keating between the sticks again after the WSL defeat this weekend.
Can Chelsea overturn the deficit?
Chelsea bounced back from last week’s quarter-final first leg to come from behind at the Etihad against the same opponents, with Aggie Beever-Jones equalising and Erin Cuthbert scoring a 91st-minute winner. That result put the Blues eight points clear at the top of the WSL with five matches to go.
With the focus now back on Europe, Chelsea will feel confident despite the two-goal deficit. They have progressed from all of their previous five quarter-finals in the competition and are unbeaten in 16 home games under Sonia Bompastor.
‘A shame’: Women’s League Cup final pitch criticised as Chelsea beat Man City
One thing that shouldn’t be an issue tonight is the pitch quality, but it’s an issue that’s cropped up frequently in women’s football in the last couple of weeks.
The playing surface at Derby County’s stadium was noticeably poor after a long winter and demanding Championship season – with bare patches visible and creating an uneven bounce for the players. Chelsea defeated City 2-1 to win the first silverware of the campaign.
The key to Chelsea’s victory over Man City in League Cup final resulting in huge advantage
The reaction from Sonia Bompastor may have said it all, on the day and ahead of the next two weeks. The Frenchwoman celebrated her first trophy at Chelsea with the mutest of celebrations, simply turning to her counterpart Nick Cushing and offering an outstretched hand. Like Chelsea’s performance against Manchester City in the League Cup final, it was business-like and professional. With three further rounds between these teams across the next 12 days, she knew there is more to come.
But the first blow was landed by Chelsea, the serial winners who lifted this trophy after three consecutive defeats in League Cup finals. Bompastor has built on what was left by Emma Hayes and could go further still, unbeaten now in 28 games this season, with one trophy down and a further three possible.
