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Tom Garry
Tom Garry is the Guardian’s reporter at the Joie Stadium tonight.
There’s a cold breeze on this dark January night here in Manchester but these two sides should serve up a red-hot semi-final under the lights. They have undeniably been the two best teams in England so far this season and both managers have gone strong with their XIs, with Sonia Bompastor interestingly resisting the temptation to rest players tonight ahead of a huge league game against Arsenal this weekend. That tells you how much importance the Frenchwoman places on this cup.
Tonight is the first time Manchester City and Chelsea have met since September and the opening night of the new WSL season. Chelsea won 2-1 but have seen their title defence stutter in the face of a resurgent City. Coming across Chelsea again, who beat them in last year’s League Cup final, has been at the forefront of City’s minds speaking to the media this week:
Head coach Andrée Jeglertz on what’s changed:
First of all the confidence that we know what we’re supposed to do, we’re clear with our relationships and the game model, we’ve been winning a lot of games, we have a great squad and know what we can expect. That was the first game, but we’re in a different place. There’s definitely been a big change since then.
Defender Alex Greenwood on what’s changed:
I do believe this team’s come a long way since then. Winning football matches creates confidence and builds momentum, and I think tactically and technically we’ve learned more about Andrée’s style of play and what he expects from us.
We’ve worked together more as a team on the grass, and you’ve seen that flourish a lot more in those recent games. So, I think from our perspective, it’s just how I always like to look at it, is we’ve improved massively since that game.
This time next week, Arsenal will be in action in the Women’s Champions Cup – a new tournament set up by Fifa in the form of the old men’s Club World Cup. The European champions face the African champions, FAR Rabat, in their semi-final at Brentford, while the Concacaf and Conmebol champions are also taking part. The final will be at the Emirates on 1 February.
Despite the nascent nature of this tournament, Fifa is, of course, going to expand it. The first edition of the Women’s Club World Cup is slated for January 2028. Qatar are in talks with Fifa to host the (for now) 16-team tournament. The WSL does not like this. Or rather, it doesn’t like that it’s been scheduled to take place throughout January, when it would affect five rounds of domestic fixtures.
Starting lineups
Arsenal v Manchester United
Arsenal: Borbe, Hinds, Wubben-Moy, Codina, McCabe, Pelova, Caldentey, Maanum, Smith, Foord, Russo.
Subs: Van Domselaar, Liddiard, Catley, Mead, Little, Blackstenius, Holmberg, Harwood.
Manchester United: Tullis-Joyce, Sandberg, Le Tissier, Park, Terland, Awujo, Rivière, Janssen, Zigiotti, Wangerheim, Hinata.
Subs: Middleton-Patel, Rendell, Lundkvist, Turner, Griffiths, Naalsund, Drury, Malard, Schüller.
Manchester City v Chelsea
Manchester City: Yamashita, Rose, Knaak, Greenwood, Casparij, Blindkilde Brown, Hasegawa, Hemp, Clinton, Miedema, Shaw.
Subs: Keating, Coombs, Ouahabi, Beney, Prior, Thomas, Murphy, Lewis, Adedini.
Chelsea: Hampton, Carpenter, Girma, Bright, Bronze, Baltimore, Cuthbert, Nüsken, Kaptein, Thompson, Kerr.
Subs: Spencer, Peng, Buurman, James, Reiten, Kaneryd, Potter, Beever-Jones.
Preamble
Hello and welcome. As the WSL title race hots up, winning the first trophy of the season could give a challenger the mental edge. Four of England’s top teams do battle for a spot in the Women’s League Cup final this evening. In a repeat of last season’s final, the competition holders Chelsea visit WSL leaders Manchester City, while European champions Arsenal host 2024 FA Cup winners Manchester United.
There will be plenty of star quality on show in both semi-finals, which kick off simultaneously at 7pm (GMT). These are one-legged ties, so there will be extra time and penalties tonight if required.
If you’re heading to a game or watching in the warmth, feel free to get in touch with your thoughts and predictions.
