Everton FCW vs. Chelsea FCW, Women’s Super League: Preview, team news, how to watch

The beginning of a busy Sunday for the club starts at Walton Hall Park in Liverpool, where Everton host the Blues in the Women’s Super League.

The opening weeks of the season haven’t been the smoothest in terms of our play, but our title defence is going strong, and now we have some early breathing room, too, thanks to Arsenal beating Manchester City last weekend.

And that three-point cushion is certainly welcome, as given the recent developments off the pitch, this match will be a test of the team’s ability to remain focused on our objectives. If anything, hopefully Emma Hayes’ impending departure can serve as additional motivation for more silverware, both domestically and at the continental level.

Date / Time: Sunday, November 12, 2023, 13.00 GMT; 8:00am ET; 6:30pm IST
Venue: Walton Hall Park, Liverpool, UK
Referee: Lauren Impey
Forecast: Light rain and a moderate breeze

On TV: none (US); none (UK); none (India); none (NGA); elsewhere
Streaming: The FA Player (int’l)

Photo by Emma Simpson - Everton FC/Everton FC via Getty Images

Everton team news: Yet another club who made several new signings in the summer, though unlike most others, they didn’t lose as many players. The Toffees brought in eight including Alyssa Aherne on loan from Manchester United, with four players leaving, including Izzy Christiansen’s retirement.

However, on the pitch, Everton aren’t doing great, third from the bottom in the WSL at the moment. Since starting the season with a 2-1 defeat to Brighton at home, they have only won once, the Merseyside derby 1-0 against Liverpool. They were handily beaten twice by Manchester United in their last three games, enduring a 5-0 loss in the league, and then 7-0 defeat in the League Cup just three days ago.

Injuries and illness to Megan Finnigan and Lucy Hope and have only added to Everton’s misery. The lone bright spot in all of this has been goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan, who has put in some miraculous shifts to keep the team afloat.

Photo by Harriet Lander - Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images

Chelsea team news: There hasn’t been much to talk about Chelsea this week outside of Emma Hayes’ announced departure at the end of the season. But we’ve got plenty of season to go until then!

Besides that “distraction”, Chelsea are well positioned for this match. Guro Reiten, Catarina Macario and Kateřina Svitková remain sidelined for the long-term, but we have more than enough quality in the squad to fill their shoes.

Previously: Chelsea haven’t lost to Everton in the league since 2013, though we did suffer an upset at their hands in the FA Cup a few years ago. We have scored at least three goals in our last seven meetings, and seven in the last one.