With Chelsea having had no time to celebrate their Women’s FA Cup win at the weekend, the Blues head straight back into WSL action this week against West Ham.
It’s an excellent game from Chelsea against current league leaders Manchester United and they will go top of the table with just one point here, although Emma Hayes would prefer all three.
West Ham, meanwhile, have had a disappointing season and will likely end up closer to the relegation zone than the top half, which was not their ambition when the campaign began.
When is kick off? Wednesday 17 May, 20:15 (BST)
Where is the match being played? Chigwell Construction Stadium
What time does TV coverage start in the UK? 20:00 (BST)
Referee? Louise Saunders
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Abbey-Leigh Stringer remains a suspect, with Jessica Ziyu being absent for a long time. A highlight for Hammers fans could be another chance for 16-year-old Princess Ademilui, who recently made her senior debut in the defeat to Brighton.
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So with the FA Cup final immediately following and what looks likely to be a very tough game against Arsenal coming up at the weekend, Hayes could be tempted to rotate.
This could mean starts for the likes of Jelena Cankovic, Jess Carter, Zekira Musovic and also a return from the starting line-up for Kadisha Buchanan after her recent injury. The same may be true of Pernille Harder, but given her impact at Wembley she may be better saved for Arsenal as well.
Millie Bright’s knee was still tied up as she watched on in the final, which also had Fran Kirby out.
Even with the possibility of rotation, Chelsea is heating up at the right time. The victory over Manchester United at Wembley was a different performance than the 7–0 and 6–0 victories over Everton and Leicester respectively, but would add to the confidence.
West Ham haven’t won a WSL game this year and have conceded 10 goals in their last two fixtures against top four opponents (Manchester United and Manchester City). Chelsea, despite going behind early in the reverse fixture, were also comfortable winning 3–1 the last time these teams met.