Chelsea defender Maren Mjelde says they come into this one with a spring in their step. The past four meetings between the sides have ended with honours even and another cagey game is likely.
I feel like teams don’t really like coming to Kingsmeadow. It is of course one of the biggest games, playing against City is always a good challenge for us and it’s good to have them at home before Christmas. The week before Everton we had three games. We have been training well this week, we’ve saved the legs and had a great week of training.
It’s not easy to predict what is going to happen because it’s two teams that want to win to make the distance between the teams bigger. It’s really tight at the top of the league, we need to prepare well for them and they are going to be doing the same. I think it will be the team that is having the best day on Sunday that will win but I’m sure that we have enough qualities to win against them.
The teams!
Chelsea: Berger; Bright, Ingle, Cuthbert, Eriksson, Mjelde, Bachmann, Andersson, Reiten, Ji, England
Subs: Telford, Blundell, Carter, Cooper, Spence, Fleming, Murphy
Manchester City: Roebuck, Beckie, Houghton, Bonner, Stokes, Walsh, Weir, Scott, Hemp, White, Wullaert
Subs: Benameur, Campbell, Coombs, Stanway, Geum-Min, Fidalgo
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Preamble
This is a meeting between title contenders and a test of mettle. Chelsea entertain Manchester City at Kingsmeadow with both acutely aware of the implications a positive result could have on their season. City or Chelsea could finish the weekend top of the table if leaders Arsenal slip up at Reading and Chelsea, who also have a game in hand, are determined to regain the league title. But Nick Cushing’s side also have their eyes on the prize.
Emma Hayes’s side are made of stern stuff; they are unbeaten and have dropped just two points all season. Chelsea should be fresh, too. They have not played since dispatching Birmingham 6-0 a fortnight ago, with Bethany England turning in another fine performance. England has flourished at Chelsea since returning from a two-year loan at Liverpool and her form has not gone unnoticed, with the forward included in the Guardian’s top 100 female footballers for 2019. “It’s crazy to think that a lass from Barnsley is now deemed one of the best in the world for football. It’s a bit surreal really,” England said.
Kick-off: 12pm (GMT)
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