With the games coming thick and fast at the conclusion of Chelsea Women’s Double-chasing season, Emma Hayes was able to confirm some good news ahead of tomorrow evening’s hosting of Leicester City in the WSL.
It is the third of three consecutive Kingsmeadow matches in the competition with Liverpool seen off with a late goal a week ago and their neighbours Everton thumped on Sunday. Scorer in both those games, including with the winner against the Reds, was Sam Kerr. However our top scorer was forced off after half-an-hour at the weekend when her calf cramped up, having been ill the night before.
Speaking today at Cobham, Hayes was able to give an update.
‘Sam is going to be okay,’ she reported. ‘On Sunday we took her off as a precaution but she's fine for tomorrow.’
Inevitably Kerr was among the goalscorers when Chelsea Women won 8-0 away against Leicester in December but with the Foxes form having improved significantly since then, Hayes says her team must not expect an easy ride in the re-match.
‘Leicester are going to be wounded from that,’ the manager points out. ‘I respect them immensely and I think they've learned a lot since then. They will have a team and players and management that will want to prove different from that result, and I expect an incredibly difficult game.’
Our opponents have won two of their past three games, including a 4-0 success over Liverpool, and were only beaten 1-0 against Arsenal last time out.
‘Leicester are fighting to stay in the league and to lose the way they have in the last two games [against Chelsea], they’ll have a point to prove and I made that clear to the players,’ said Hayes. ‘I do not underestimate Leicester in any way, shape or form, and they proved that the other night against Arsenal. It took a world-class strike to win that game. I think this will be a game that will go the distance.
‘Leicester’s form is indicative of top-five, top-six. They're the most aggressive team in the league, as shown in the performance against Arsenal and particularly in their results the second half of the season.
‘I think they will stay in the league and they will continue to improve under Willie [Kirk]. I think they're the most-improved side in the whole of the WSL.’