Chelsea Women vs Man United preview: brawl among the leaders

Lauren James hopes to continue run of Chelsea form against her former side

Tied with the Blues in the goal scoring department so far this domestic season, Alessia Russo leads the Man United attack with eight goals this campaign including a goal against CFC. Heading into the previous fixture, Skinner’s side had not yet conceded a goal in the WSL. The Blues three on the night changed that, knifing through the United backline twice in the span of four minutes during the second half.

Both club’s battled a relatively mild first 45 minutes with limited chances on both ends. The United backline looked unconvincing for the majority of the match, allowing the Blues to collect 18 interceptions on the night. Millie Turner’s giveaway in the 60′ gifted CFC the first goal of the contest as Sam Kerr opened the scoring. If Skinner wants to prevail at Kingsmeadow, his defense must be able to keep the ball against a CFC midfield that is seeking to interrupt play at any given moment.

Welsh captain Sophie Ingle aims to run middle of the park for second time

Sophie Ingle was at the top of her game in the last meeting, controlling the game with her passing range and vision. Having rested for the majority of the previous match against Brighton, Ingle will be ready to boss the middle of the park once again against Man United. She finished the evening with tied for the most tackles plus interceptions while collecting the more progressive passes and shot-creating actions than any Blue through 90 minutes.