There are few weekends in a Women’s Super League campaign that feel as pivotal as the one ahead. The course of this season’s title race could be decided as the top two go head-to-head. Under the lights at Kingsmeadow, Chelsea will host Manchester City knowing victory will give them a six-point lead at the summit and one hand on the trophy with eight games remaining. Conversely, a win for the visitors would pull them level on points with the reigning champions, setting up a mouthwatering race to the finish line.
Form: Both sides are in a strong vein of form. Chelsea are unbeaten in all competitions since their 4-1 defeat away to Arsenal in early December. They have turned Kingsmeadow and Stamford Bridge into fortresses, winning their past 22 league matches at home – a WSL record. City are on an equally eye-catching run and are undefeated since a surprise home loss to Brighton in November. While Chelsea have a slightly higher goals per game average (3.15 to 2.69), City boast the tightest defence in the league, having conceded only eight. Part of this is down to the stability of their starting XI with Alex Greenwood and Laia Aleixandri almost ever-present in the backline while Lauren Hemp, Chloe Kelly and Khadija Shaw are invariably the front three.
