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Chelsea travel to Dagenham to take on a West Ham United side hovering near the bottom of the WSL table.
The Blues will look to avoid a letdown after an important first leg Champions League victory last Wednesday and before the second leg coming up next Wednesday. West Ham meanwhile will be looking to distance themselves from a relegation fight with a first league win of 2021.
Date / Time: Sunday, March 7th, 2021, 3:00pm BST; 10:00am EST; 8:00pm IST
Venue: Chigwell Construction Stadium, Dagenham, England
Referee: Robert Whitton
Forecast: Cool, Partly Cloudy
On TV: None None (UK); None (USA);
Streaming: The FA Player
West Ham United WFC team news: West Ham have played Chelsea twice this season, falling by a single goal in December — their goal-scorer that day, Rachel Daly, has since returned to the Houston Dash — and then getting destroyed to the tune of 6-0 in February. It hasn’t been much rosier against other sides, having won only two league matches all season, most recently in December.
The Irons have shown some stingy defending recently, allowing just one goal in each of their previous two matches. Captain Gilly Flaherty and fellow centre back Grace Fisk, along with goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold, make up the backbone of that defense and have played nearly every minute this season. With Daly back in Houston, Emily van Egmond has shouldered scoring duties, getting occasional help from midfielder Kenza Dali. Manager Olli Harder took over for Matt Beard (now at Bristol City) in December, but has yet to pick up a league victory.
Chelsea FCW team news: Chelsea come off an impressive and rather incredible performance in the 2-0 win over Atlético de Madrid on Wednesday. Sophie Ingle was sent off just 10 minutes in for denying a clear goal scoring opportunity and the Blues were forced to play almost the entire match a player down. Fortunately, Ann-Katrin Berger saved not one, but two penalties and Chelsea rallied behind her to come away with a massive victory.
With the return leg against Atlético looming, Chelsea may opt to rotate among the vast array of talent available. Sam Kerr and Pernille Harder have both picked up recent hat-tricks against West Ham; perhaps it’s Bethany England’s turn?
Magda Eriksson was left out of the starting lineup midweek due to a knock and it’s not clear if she’ll be available. Even if she’s ready, Emma Hayes may prefer to give her additional time to achieve fitness for the upcoming Champions League match.
Previously: The Blues came away 6-0 winners in the Continental Cup semifinals in February, highlighted by Pernille Harder’s first Chelsea hat-trick and a patented long strike from Sophie Ingle.