Women's FA Cup final preview | OneFootball

FA Cup holders Manchester United will face undefeated WSL champions Chelsea at Wembley this Sunday with the Blues looking to bag a domestic treble.

To get you prepared for the big game, we've had an in depth look at both teams ahead of the weekend.

Chelsea

It has been quite the season for Sonia Bompastor. The French coach arrived with big shoes to fill following Emma Hayes' departure for the USWNT but she has quickly found her groove in England.

A 1-0 win over Liverpool on the final day of the league season ensured an undefeated season with Chelsea conceding just 13 goals over 22 games.

After lifting the League Cup earlier in the year, this Sunday presents an opportunity for a domestic treble in Bompastor's debut season with Chelsea last lifting the WSL, FA Cup, and League Cup back in the 2020/21 season.

The only minor blot on the record for Chelsea this season has been in the Champions League. Bompastor lost her first ever game against Manchester City before coming back to progress. However, Barcelona showed their quality winning 4-1 in both semi-final legs to clinch an 8-2 semi-final victory on the way to the final.

Indeed, that semi-final exit seems to have stayed with Bompastor and the manager admitted even an FA Cup final victory would not make her completely satisfied with her first year:  "It would be a brilliant season but not a perfect one because we still missed one trophy. But we need to play the game first."

Manchester United

In comparison, Manchester United's unexpectedly successful season has seen them book a place in the Europe for next season,

Despite the negativity and departures last summer, Marc Skinner's new arrivals and rock-solid backline were able to ensure that they earned third place in the league.

The Red Devils have lost just four games in the WSL this season with two of those coming against Sonia Bompastor's all-conquering side. Despite that, there is belief that United can retain their title in a one-off game.

"It’s a one-off event, I don’t even call them games, this is an event," Skinner said in the build-up to the game.

"You go in there, and you have to put your best performance on the line and you know the opponent will try and do the same. It’s one of the toughest tasks in football but we’re Man United."

The cliche goes that form goes out of the window in games like this, which is something that United will be hopeful for considering they haven't won any of their final four league games – albeit with a very difficult run of fixtures.

Head-to-Head

These two have faced off against each other 15 times since the reformation of the United women's team and it is the Blues who have by far the better record.

Chelsea have won 13 of the 15 games in total, with United earning a draw and not winning their first game against the London side until last season.

That game was a significant one though, an FA Cup semi-final at Leigh Sports Village that Skinner's side held on to win 2-1 before thrashing Spurs 4-0 in the final.

Speaking of which, this is of course a replay of the 2023 FA Cup final, Sam Kerr was the difference that day scoring the winner in the second half. The Australian won't be available for this one but there are plenty of other threats the United defence need to stop.