City v Chelsea: WSL Match Preview | OneFootball

Everything you need to know ahead of our latest Barclays Women's Super League clash.

When and where

City welcome Chelsea to the Academy Stadium on Sunday 26 March, with kick-off scheduled for 12:40 (UK).

The match is available to watch live in the United Kingdom on BBC One, the BBC Sport website and BBC iPlayer, while you can also follow comprehensive coverage on the official Man City app.

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Our Matchday Centre, offering detailed text updates, stats and analysis across the day, begins at 11:00, while a special Matchday Live show will also be broadcast ahead of kick-off.

Once the action gets under way, we will provide live audio commentary in the app, while those with push notifications turned on will also be alerted to all the key moments as they unfold.

A detailed match report and reaction from the manager and players alike can be accessed soon after the final whistle, while highlights and a full-match replay (available on CITY+ and Recast) will be made available from 12:00 on Monday 27 March.

Team news

Gareth Taylor says City have a clean bill of health ahead of Sunday's clash.

Esme Morgan made her first start since recovering from an Achilles injury against Aston Villa on Sunday, while Hayley Raso and Alanna Kennedy also returned to the bench.

“Nothing’s changed,” he said.

“Everyone has come through training well. Outside of Khiara [Keating], everyone is fit and available.”

Gareth Taylor preview

"Sometimes a draw can cost you a league title. It’s tight in that respect but again we feel we have enough particularly with what we’ve seen in recent weeks.

"For us, it’s a game to look forward to on our patch.

"If someone had given us this after the first two games of the season we’d have grabbed their hands off. What an opportunity for us.

"I want to see the fire in the players’ eyes which I’m seeing at the moment, and I want to see the bit between our teeth ready to take on the challenge."

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Form Guide

City's defeat to Aston Villa in the FA Cup quarter-finals was just our second loss in all competitions since September.

During that time, we have won 18 of our 22 matches, leaving us just two points off the WSL summit.

Indeed, our last league defeat came in September, at the hands of Sunday's opponents.

Meanwhile, Chelsea are unbeaten in their last three matches after losing the Continental Cup final to Arsenal, and are unbeaten in the league since the opening day of the season.

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Last time out

City's FA Cup hopes were dashed at the quarter-final stage after a 2-1 loss to Aston Villa.

Rachel Daly's extra time strike settled the tie at the Bescot Stadium when she pounced on a loose ball to tap home from close-range.

The hosts had taken the lead through captain Rachel Corsie, but City replied before the break when Deyna Castellanos headed home Lauren Hemp's cross.

Gareth Taylor's side were the team in the ascendancy, but ultimately couldn't make that pressure count.

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Previous encounter

Goals in either half from Fran Kirby and Maren Mjelde saw City lose 2-0 to Chelsea in our most recent clash.

It represents our last league defeat, an unbeaten run which stretches across 13 WSL matches.

TV information