Chelsea Women can extend their lead at the summit of the Women's Super League table to four points if they can beat Tottenham Hotspur Ladies at Kingsmeadow on Thursday.
The two sides will face off in a London derby for just the second time in just a matter of days after the Blues won 3-1 in the reverse fixture at the weekend.
Match preview
© Reuters
Chelsea will face Spurs on Thursday in a fixture that had to be rearranged after the visitors were unable to field a team in March due to a number of COVID-19 cases in their squad.
Emma Hayes will be looking for her side to replicate Sunday's 3-1 victory over Tottenham as the Blues managed to wrap up the three points despite spending nearly an hour with a numerical disadvantage.
A Sophie Ingle own goal gave Spurs an early lead before Guro Reiten levelled for Chelsea, however, the league leaders were presented with an obstacle to overcome when their goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger was given her marching orders in the 33rd minute.
Despite being a player light, Chelsea ensured that they maintained their one-point lead over Arsenal with goals from Sam Kerr and Jessie Fleming sealing the three points for the reigning WSL champions.
After winning their last six league matches, the Blues are closing in on their third consecutive league title, and they could put pressure on Arsenal with three more points on Thursday.
© Reuters
It was not too long ago that Tottenham were in the hunt for a top-three place, but a winless four-game run has seen Rehanne Skinner's side fall away from Champions League contention.
Although their form has dropped off, the campaign can be regarded as a success for Spurs who are set to improve on last season's eighth-placed finish, while they have already accumulated eight more points than last term.
They will now bid to keep hold of fifth position but to do that they must improve on recent results, which has included a run of three consecutive defeats.
The main area for improvement is a struggling frontline, demonstrated by the fact that no Tottenham player has scored in the last four games.
Ingle's own goal represents the only time that Spurs have scored in their previous four outings, and Tottenham's attackers will be in for another tough game when they come up against a Chelsea side who have conceded just one home league goal this season.
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- D
- L
- L
- L
Team News
© Reuters
With Berger suspended for the hosts, Zecira Musovic will come into the starting lineup to feature in the Chelsea goal.
Fran Kirby is the only other known absentee, although Hayes could make a couple of alterations as she tries to keep her side fresh.
The Chelsea boss could bring Magdalena Eriksson into the back three, while Pernille Harder is also in contention to start Thursday's contest.
As for Spurs, Ria Percival is expected to miss the remainder of the season due to a knee problem, while Kit Graham is also an injury absentee.
Tottenham announced on Monday that they had exercised the option to extend Shelina Zadorsky's contract for a further year, and the defender is set to mark her extension by making her 50th appearance for Spurs on Thursday.
Despite losing against the Blues on Sunday, Skinner may name an unchanged lineup for the trip to Kingsmeadow.
Chelsea Women possible starting lineup:
Musovic; Bright, Eriksson, Carter; Charles, Cuthbert, Ingle, Harder, Reiten; Kerr, England
Tottenham Hotspur Ladies possible starting lineup:
Korpela; Bartrip, Schnaderbeck, Zadorsky; Neville, Cho, Summanen, Harrop; Simon, Naz, Williams
We say: Chelsea Women 4-1 Tottenham Hotspur Ladies
Chelsea's home league record this season has been impeccable with their nine home games resulting in eight wins and one draw, and we think they will continue to dominate at Kingsmeadow when they face their London rivals on Thursday.
