The final weekend of the season is finally here, and no matter what happens this weekend, it’s going to be a wild ride. With Manchester City and Chelsea now equal on points with one game to go – and the Blues only two goals ahead on Goal Difference – both teams will have to put up a fight to claim the 2023/24 WSL title.
Game-wise, Manchester City will be going away to Aston Villa, while Chelsea heads to Old Trafford to face newly-crowned FA Cup winners Manchester United.
With Chelsea arguably playing the most challenging of the two opponents, all eyes are on Emma Hayes and her squad to see whether they’ll be able to take home a win and maintain the goal difference required to take home their fifth consecutive title. But with Manchester United still riding the high of last weekend’s victory – and knowing that they’ve already beaten Chelsea once this season – could Mark Skinner’s side throw a spanner in the works?
Let’s take a closer look at what you can expect from the match – including the all-important team news and what happened the last time these two came face-to-face in the WSL.
When does Manchester United vs Chelsea kick-off?
Manchester United vs Chelsea will kick off at 3pm on Saturday 18 May, at the same time as Aston Villa vs Manchester City. Coverage of the match – which will be played at Old Trafford – will air on Sky Sports.
Who will play in Manchester United vs Chelsea?
Manchester United
Mary can't wait to see you all this weekend 🤩 Join us at the Theatre of Dreams on Saturday 🎟️⤵️ #MUWomen
Skinner will likely name a similar starting eleven to the one he named for last weekend’s FA Cup final, with no new injuries in the squad for him to worry about. That means the likes of Ella Toone, Lucía García and Lisa Naalsund will likely take to the pitch once again.
The only variation we can expect is when it comes to Skinner’s pick up front in the number nine position: last weekend Rachel Williams lead the line from kick-off, before later being replaced by Nikita Parris.
The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup Golden Boot winner Hinata Miyazawa also got some time on the pitch last weekend, so we’ll be intrigued to see whether the Japan International gets to make her mark in the final match of the season.
Chelsea
Watch Emma Hayes' final press conference as a Chelsea manager as she previews our trip to United. x.com/i/broadcasts/1…
Emma Hayes is infamously tight-lipped in her pre-match press conferences, and her last one in the WSL was no different. The outgoing Chelsea manager revealed very little about the team we can expect to see this weekend, but paid homage to the role young players Aggie Beever-Jones and Maika Hamano have played in recent weeks.
With this in mind, and many of Chelsea’s seasoned strikers currently out on injury or struggling with end-of-season niggles, we can expect to see both Beever-Jones and Hamano make an appearance in the Manchester United game.
Lauren James, who has been struggling with a foot injury, will likely also make an appearance, but we’ll have to wait and see whether that’s in the starting eleven or from the bench.
Otherwise, we’re hoping to see Chelsea legends Fran Kirby and Maren Mjelde step on the pitch in their final game with the club.
What happened last time Manchester United played Chelsea in the WSL?
The last time these two teams played each other was in the FA cup semi-finals, when Manchester United claimed a surprise victory over the Blues.
But it was Chelsea who took home the victory last time they came head-to-head with Manchester United in the WSL, with Lauren James’ hat-trick securing the team a 3-1 victory at Stamford Bridge.
However, this time Manchester United will have the home advantage at an almost sold-out Old Trafford, so it really could be anyone’s game.
Image: Getty
