Chelsea look to keep the ball in their court in WSL title race against lowly Birmingham

Chelsea Women are looking to move within one win of their third successive WSL title by beating relegation favourites Birmingham City Women on Sunday at St Andrews.

With only two fixtures left in their season, Emma Hayes’ side are guaranteed to be league champions again if they win both of them. However, between themselves and glory is a potential banana skin against the Blues on Sunday before facing Manchester United on the final day.

Birmingham will likely prove a tough test on Sunday as their status as a top flight team is hanging in the balance. Darren Carter’s side desperately need the win in order to boost their survival hopes, but it will be a tall order against a Chelsea side unbeaten in their last 11 WSL games. However, the Blues will be on a high after securing just their second victory of the season against Brighton & Hove Albion in their previous outing.

Manager’s comments:

Hayes told Chelsea’s press: “Everybody has to pay a bit more respect to Birmingham and the fact that they aren’t out of the division, they’ve been treated a little bit unfairly in that regard,

“They’re fighting for their lives and knowing Darren and his team, they will make this game dogged and difficult so they certainly won’t be underestimated by us.

“It’s a very different opponent to Tottenham, but nonetheless one that’s going to do everything they can to take points off of us.”

Team News:

Birmingham City –

After suffering a shoulder injury back in February, Sarah Ewens was back in the match day squad on Saturday when Birmingham beat Brighton. She was an unused substitute but could make an appearance against Chelsea on Sunday. Darren Carter will be delighted that Louise Quinn and Veatriki Sarri are also both available for selection. The pair have been proven impressive for Birmingham over the course of the season, despite their struggles.

Chelsea –

Emma Hayes has confirmed that she has retained her squad from their previous game. However, Ji So-Yun could return to the side after sitting out the victory over Spurs. After eight seasons with Chelsea, Ji announced on Friday that she will be leaving the club at the end of the season, so with only three competitive games left, she would love nothing more than to go out with a title winning bang.

Goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger could potentially return between the sticks for Hayes’ side after serving her one match suspension following her red card away to Spurs last Sunday. Meanwhile Fran Kirby remains absent after recently announcing she is taking a break from football.

Head to Head:

In the reverse fixture this season, Chelsea breezed past Birmingham 5-0. In fact, Birmingham haven’t managed to score a goal past Chelsea since 2019 when they actually won 3-2.

But, if Carter’s side have any hopes of surviving this season they need to battle hard for at least a point on Sunday especially as there final two games after Chelsea are Manchester City and Midlands rivals Aston Villa.

Overview:

There is much to play for in this game for both Birmingham City and Chelsea. The Blues could be officially relegated to the Championship should they lose and rivals Leicester City pick up a win over Reading, but can breath life into their Super League status with an unlikely win.

Meanwhile, at this late stage of the season, Chelsea can ill afford a slip up, especially against the division’s bottom side. With Arsenal sitting four points behind with a game in hand, a defeat could leave London’s Blues fate out of their hands. Emma Hayes will be expecting a thoroughly professional performance from her players at St.Andrews to ensure that Chelsea go one step close to lifting the Women’s Super League trophy.

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