Women's FA Cup: Chelsea FC Ladies At Wembley Preview

rn rn View image | gettyimages.com rn rnThe 1st match of the Chelsea FC Wembley Weekend takes place on Saturday 1st August at 3pm, UK time.rnrn RELATED: Chelsea FC Own Wembley Stadium rnrnThe 1st of August 2015 will go down in the record books as a day of many 1st's!rnrnIt will be the 1st time that the Women's FA Cup Final, sponsored by SSE, will be staged at the home of English football, Wembley Stadium.rnrn[recentposts align="right" thiscategory="no"]rnrnIt will be the 1st time that Chelsea Ladies FC have played at Wembley.rnrnOver 25,000 tickets have been sold for the 1st time in the history of the Women's FA Cup.rnrnIt will be the 1st time that Chelsea Ladies' opponents on the day, Notts County Ladies FC, have reached the final.rnrnOh and more importantly Chelsea Ladies FC are trying to win the cup for the 1st time!rnrnThe following day, Sunday 2nd August sees the men of Stamford Bridge take on Arsenal in the Community Shield, so another 1st is being set by the Chelsea FC family: the 1st time a club has played 2 matches at Wembley on successive days!rnrn[nextpost teaser="Chelsea Ladies Route To The Final" slider="true"]rnrn rnrn rn rn View image | gettyimages.com rn rn The Route To The Final rnrnThe opening fixture of the season was a 5th round FA Cup match at home to Watford Ladies FC on the 22nd March. Goals from Ji So Yun, Gemma Davison and two from Marija Banusic meant a 4-0 lead by half time. A hat trick goal in the 2nd half from Banusic and another from Millie Bright rounded off a 6-0 scoreline and secured a safe passage to a quarter-final tie with Arsenal.rnrnTwo league games passed with two victories before the meeting with Arsenal and with the Blues full of confidence, a potentially tricky tie was won 2-1 with all the goals scored in the 1st half. Katie Chapman and Gemma Davison were the scorers before a 1st half last minute goal by Arsenal made for a nervy 2nd period. The scenes of celebration at the end showed just how much the victory meant for everyone at Chelsea.rnrnA further 3 league games were played (W2 D1) before the "revenge" semi-final match against Manchester City Women. The revenge was because of the final game of last season: a 2-1 loss that day meant Chelsea Ladies FC had been pipped to the League crown on goal difference.rnrnThe match was played at a neutral venue, Adams Park (the home of Wycombe Wanderers), and was a tense affair, both sides knowing victory would see them through to Wembley for the final. Chelsea Ladies had the better of a goalless 1st half, with Man City in the ascendancy for the majority of the 2nd. However in the 84th minute Drew Spence passed to Ji So Yun on the edge of the box who expertly rifled home the winner. Five minutes were left to see out and the Blues had won and were Wembley bound!rnrn rnrn[nextpost teaser="Chelsea Ladies Current Form" slider="true"]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_39314" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Credit to: http://www.fawsl.com/stats.html#Grf2gjmAPvlHY838.97[/caption]rnrn Current Form rnrnThere is a saying in football that the table doesn't lie.rnrnIn this instance it doesn't lie, it merely distorts the truth!rnrnOn the 18th July Chelsea were the league leaders with a healthy five point cushion, but following two successive defeats against Sunderland and Manchester City the club now sit in 3rd, albeit only 1 point off the top spot.rnrnThe 2nd half of the 2015 season restarted after the Women's World Cup and summer break with a routine win against bottom club Bristol Academy Women, although the scoreline of 4-1 did slightly flatter our ladies.rnrnThis was followed up by a surprising 0-4 loss away at Sunderland; what is it with the "Mackems" and Chelsea FC?rnrnA not too convincing win in the FA WSL Continental Tyres Cup against FAWSL2 team Reading FC Women with a scoreline of 3-2 followed, before a heart breaking 1-2 loss to Man City, brought about by an 86th minute Claire Rafferty own goal.rnrnIn the 4 matches since the season restarted the formbook for both teams reads:rnrnChelsea Ladies FC: P4 W2 D0 L2 GF8 GA9.rnrnNotts County Ladies FC: P4 W2 D0 L2 GF6 GA6rnrn[nextpost teaser="Key Players" slider="true"]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_39323" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Jul 1, 2015; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; England midfielder Katie Chapman (16) and Japan midfielder Rumi Utsugi (13) fight for the ball during the second half in the semifinals of the FIFA 2015 Women's World Cup at Commonwealth Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports[/caption]rnrn Key Players rnrnKatie Chapman:rnrnChelsea Ladies FC's Captain was signed from Arsenal in January 2014 and has won the Women's FA Cup a record 8 times during her career. She is the epitome of a leader with her tough no nonsense approach to tackling and non-stop covering of the pitch as the midfield general. If a comparison has to be made to any of Chelsea's men, it would have to be the one and only Dennis Wise, albeit Katie's taller!rnrnWith 91 full England caps and the experience of winning this competition, her leadership will be invaluable to the team on the day.rnrn rn rn View image | gettyimages.com rn rnGemma Davison:rnrnGemma Davison joined the Blues in January 2015 from Liverpool and started the season on fire by scoring 5 goals in the first 4 matches. The goals have dried up a bit since then, but she did score again in the 4-1 win against Bristol Academy Women on the 12th July. rnrnHer other contributions on the pitch, however, have continued to blossom. Her trademark direct runs at defenders coupled have been complimented by her tracking back which has always been a hugely positive aspect of her game. With Gemma in the side a goal or an assist is sure to be in the books at Wembley.rnrn rn rn View image | gettyimages.com rn rnHedvig Lindahl:rnrnChelsea FC's #1 goalkeeper signed at the start of the season and has been a reassuringly calming influence for the defence this season. A Swedish international with over 100 caps, she brings a huge amount of experience to what is a relatively young squad and again will help enormously with the pre-match nerves as well as during the game itself.rnrn[nextpost teaser="Prediction" slider="true"]rnrn rnrn Prediction rnrnI am going for a 2-1 win in Chelsea's favour.rnrnBut of course you wouldn't expect me to say anything other than a win for the ladies in royal blue!rnrnI do think it will be a tight game with 2 teams not in the best of current form, but that is partially understandable given the historic context of this game. Nobody wanted to get injured in the run up to this one!rnrnChelsea should just have enough class on the pitch when comparing player to player. That's no disrespect to Notts County, just a sign of how far Chelsea Ladies have come in a short period of time following its establishment as a fully professional club.rnrnHowever, one thing is guaranteed as a result of this 1st Women's FA Cup at Wembley, and that is women's football taking another huge stride forward in terms of recognition. Furthermore, as a result it's popularity is sure to increase even further in the months and years to come.rnrnAnd that can only be a good thing.rnrnTickets will be available on the day (priced at £15 for adults) from the East Stand box office at Wembley from 11am onwards, so why not come along and be part of the history-making crowd at Wembley and cheer on the ladies of Chelsea FC!rnrnPart 2 of the #ChelseaWembleyWeekend featuring the men of Chelsea and the Community Shield will be published tomorrow so don't forget to keep in touch with The Pride Of London for a full preview.rnrn[socials]rnrn[nextpost teaser="Charles Aranguiz, John Stones And The Latest Chelsea FC Transfer Rumours" url="https://theprideoflondon.com/2015/07/30/charles-aranguiz-john-stones-and-the-latest-chelsea-fc-transfer-rumours/"]rnrn[recentposts]

The Pride of London

Women’s FA Cup: Chelsea FC Ladies At Wembley Preview

More from The Pride of London

Newsletter

Your Chelsea FC.
Your Inbox. Every Day.