The 51st Women's FA Cup final takes place at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, when a record crowd for this competition is likely to turn through the gates to watch Chelsea Women take on Arsenal Women.
Arsenal are the record holders in the FA Cup having won this title 14 times, while Chelsea are two-time winners getting their hands on the trophy in 2015 and 2018.
Match preview
© Reuters
The Gunners' form heading into Sunday's clash could not be much better, after remaining undefeated in the Women's Super League and only recording one defeat, against European champions Barcelona, in their first 14 games across all competitions.
Having just finished the international break, Jonas Eidevall's side's last match was two weeks ago, when goals from Vivianne Miedema and Katie McCabe sealed an impressive 2-0 victory away at Manchester United.
That result meant that Arsenal remained on top of the WSL, one point ahead of rivals Chelsea, who are also in terrific form and have climbed to second in the league after defeat on the opening day.
Emma Hayes's side are on a 13-game unbeaten run in all competitions, after losing at the Emirates on the first day of this new season in a five-goal thriller.
The Blues' last outing was against a struggling Birmingham City side and Chelsea overtook Arsenal on the goalscoring front by smashing five past their visitors, courtesy of a Fran Kirby brace and a hat-trick from Samantha Kerr.
© Reuters
Both of these teams are running away at the top of the WSL, and have already seemed to create a two-horse race for the league title as Chelsea are six points clear of third-placed Brighton & Hove Albion and neither Arsenal nor the Blues show any signs of slowing down.
Sunday's final is a delayed affair for last season's FA Cup competition, nevertheless though, claiming silverware at this stage of the year may give one of these teams a big boost for this campaign's WSL.
Manchester City Women have won the last two FA Cup titles, and the last final which did not involve the Sky Blues came in 2018 when Chelsea defeated Arsenal 3-1 thanks to goals from Kirby and a brace from Ramona Bachmann.
The Gunners last won this competition in 2016, when again these two London rivals met at Wembley Stadium where Danielle Carter sealed a 1-0 victory for Arsenal.
Both Arsenal and Chelsea eased into the final by winning their semi-final ties by the same scoreline of 3-0, with Eidevall's side getting past Brighton and Hayes's team defeating reigning champions Man City at the end of October.
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- D
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
Team News
© Reuters
Arsenal will be without centre-back Leah Williamson after she suffered a serious injury last month which has ruled her out until at least the new year.
McCabe, Miedema and Beth Mead are likely to start as the forward trio for Arsenal, with 14 WSL goals between them this season they pose a big threat to the Chelsea defence.
Kim Little has won three FA Cup titles while Jordan Nobbs has four FA Cup medals to her name with Arsenal, and their experience of this event on Sunday could be invaluable to the Gunners.
Chelsea's disappointment in the Champions League final in May could well help Hayes's side this weekend as it is the first opportunity to redeem themselves with a trophy since that date, and all 11 starters are still with the club so they can use that experience.
The Blues will play in their favoured 3-4-3 formation, starting with Kerr, Kirby and Jessie Fleming as their attacking trio, who have 18 WSL goals between them so far this campaign.
Pernille Harder has not featured for the Blues since the middle of October, so she may only be fit enough for a place on the bench this weekend but could certainly make an impact off the bench.
Arsenal Women possible starting lineup:
Zinsberger; Catley, Wubben-Moy, Beattie, Maritz; Little, Walti, Nobbs; McCabe, Miedema, Mead
Chelsea Women possible starting lineup:
Berger; Bright, Carter, Eriksson; Reiten, Leupolz, Ingle, Cuthbert; Kirby, Kerr, Fleming
We say: Arsenal Women 2-3 Chelsea Women
(After Extra Time)
Chelsea's experience from the Champions League final in May could be a key influencer in Sunday's FA Cup clash, and the Blues will be desperate to win a trophy to move on from that defeat against Barcelona.
Arsenal will be confident having beaten Chelsea already this season, but both teams have come a long way since that opening day, which is why it is going to be a closely-fought final.
No Data Analysis info
