The final of the Subway Women’s League Cup 2025 is awarded the first domestic cutlery of the season, with Chelsea competing against Manchester City in Pride Park in Derby.
The Clash on Saturday is the first of four meetings between the two teams this month, with fixes in the Champions League (two legs) and the WSL. Chelsea has lost each of the last three finals in this competition, including in 2022 against the opponents of this weekend.
For Sonia Bombastor, who took on the role of head coach of the London club last summer, it could be her first taste of silver in England. City, on the other hand, separated with Gareth Taylor at the beginning of this week and former manager Nick Cushing temporarily took responsibility.
The upheaval in the shelter means that it is difficult to predict exactly what Team Cushing will go far, but there will be undoubtedly some interesting matchups on the field.
Here, 90 minutes If you look at the potential battles that could decide the final on Saturday …
The striker Khadija Shaw is again in outstanding goalkeeper. The Jamaica International leads the golden boat fighting in the WSL and will undoubtedly be the greatest threat to its team in the box.
Millie Bright and Center-Back partner Nathalie Bjorn will probably be instructed to keep one of the league’s most productive scorers. Shaw scored a goal in four of the city’s last six games in all competitions.
It is also worth mentioning that the Bombastor team admitted in four of their last six games, including two in a WSL meeting with Brighton & Hove Albion early this month. The defense of Chelsea is not infallible, which means that Bright has to be at the top of her game to keep Shaw in check.
The midfield is always the most important in the advantages of this size. With two teams who like to keep owning and work to put down their opponents, control in the middle of the park will probably be crucial.
Yui Hasegawa has been in the middle of City’s midfield for several years and will probably be called by Cushing this weekend. On the opposite side, Erin Cuthbert signed a new contract with Chelsea at the beginning of this week and held it in the club until summer 2027.
Fomer City star Keira Walsh would have been a shoe for this game, but Bombastor confirmed on Thursday that the English international was still failing due to injuries. Therefore, it will probably be Cuthbert’s responsibility to keep the way.
Cuthbert is often put together by Wieke Kaptein, although Sjoeke Nusken is also a solid option. It is fair to say that Chelsea is not without outstanding midfield options, even if Walsh is not available.
City defender Kerstin Casparij has the task of staying calm on Saturday to select the bombastor for Chelsea’s left. Due to Guro Reiten’s absence in the past few weeks, Lauren James, Catarina Macario and Aggie Beever-Jones have all played there.
James in particular tends to work out the best with her strength and tricks. The striker is a nightmare for every defender, not least because she has the ability to cut inside and shoot out of range.
Whoever faces Casparij will be a difficult test, but the likely fight with James has the potential to be the most important thing, not least because the Chelsea star has achieved the profit or equalization target against Crystal Palace, Brighton and Everton.
At the opposite end of the field for Hell- und Shaw fight, the defense of the city will have a significant task. Mayra Ramirez is currently one of the most exciting strikers in the women’s play and is consistently a handful of whom she faces.
The city had to play a rather provisional defense at times due to injuries, including Alex Greenwood’s long -term lack of Alex Greenwood. Laia Aleixandri is currently the main support and has worked with 20-year-old Gracie Prior or Naomi Layzell in the past few weeks.