The Blues will host Championship outfit Aston Villa Women tonight in the Continental Tyres League Cup quarter-final, and here is all the background needed ahead of the knock-out tie…
WHEN AND WHERE?
The tie takes place at our home ground Kingsmeadow this evening and kicks off at 7pm!
HOW TO BUY TICKETS
Tickets are available to purchase online until 2pm and are priced at £3 for adults and £1 for seniors (over 65) and juniors (under 20). You can also buy tickets from our matchday booth at Kingsmeadow from 5.30pm.
Click here to buy your Chelsea Women v Aston Villa Women tickets!
HOW TO FOLLOW
Supporters who cannot make it to Kingsmeadow this evening, can keep up to date with how the clash unfolds via our social media channels. There will be live commentary on our Twitter page, regular updates on Facebook and Instagram, plus footage of the matchday on our Instagram Story. Simply search ‘ChelseaFCW' on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to keep up to date.
THE FORM
Emma Hayes’ side are in fine form having stretched our unbeaten run to 16 games with our latest result 6-1 against Bristol City in the Women’s Super League on Sunday.
Chelsea trailed a goal in the opening quarter but forward Bethany England levelled the scoring with a brave header and three more goals followed by half-time. Hannah Blundell gave us the lead five minutes prior to the interval with a bliss left-footed strike that got a deflection on its way in. Defender Jess Carter scored her first ever Chelsea goal when she poked home from close range, and Ji So-Yun directed her low powerful shot into the net to give us a comfortable lead at the break. The South Korean scored her second of the match five minutes into the second half and England took her tally to 14 goals this season when she thumped home a header in the final stages of the match.
Aston Villa are undefeated in their respective league (FA Women’s Championship) having won 11 and drawn one and are currently perched comfortably at the top of tier 2, six points clear of second-placed Sheffield United. They were last in action three days ago when they travelled to South Yorkshire to come up against Sheffield United and the only goal scored was by Villa forward Megan Foll.
The Villians finished second in Group A of Continental Tyres League Cup below Sheffield United, but above Liverpool, Durham, Coventry United and Blackburn Rovers. They won three of their five matches and were defeated by Durham and lost out to Coventry on penalties.
CHELSEA WOMEN V ASTON VILLA WOMEN HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD
The sides have only met once which was back in 2016 when Chelsea put six goals past Villa to reach the last four of the Women’s FA Cup.
Chelsea hit the woodwork three times in the opening 22 minutes, twice through Ji and once through Karen Carney. The opener came on 39 minutes when Drew Spence unleashed an unstoppable half-volley. On the hour Fran Kirby set up Ji, who calmly tapped in and soon after our No.14 netted from 12 yards out. In the final five minutes Ji completed her hat-trick with goals either side of Eni Aluko’s 88th-minute effort.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE BLUES?
Chelsea will make the journey to north London on Sunday afternoon for a mouth-watering clash against fellow league contenders Arsenal. The following Sunday Hayes’ team are back on the road and travel to Charlton Athletic for our FA Cup fourth round tie.
We return to Kingsmeadow on Sunday 2 February when we welcome West Ham to Kingsmeadow for the second time this term. The WSL match kicks off at 2pm and tickets are priced at £1 for concessions and £9 for adults.