Chelsea vs. Charlton, Women's FA Cup: Preview, team news, how to watch
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Starting the cup campaign with intent
Back from the winter break, Chelsea begin our journey in this season's Women's FA Cup with a clash against Charlton Athletic at Kingsmeadow.
Aiming for another dominant campaign, and looking to do better than last season's semifinal exit that followed back-to-back-to-back FA Cup trophies, the Blues will want to hit the ground running.
Date / Time: Sunday, January 12, 2025, 15:00 GMT; 10am EST
Venue: Kingsmeadow, Kingston upon Thames, UK
Referee: Joanne Horwood
Forecast: Light cloud and light winds
On TV:none (UK); none (US); elsewhere
Streaming: YouTube, FA Player (int'l)
Chelsea team news: Chelsea finished the first half of the season unbeaten across all competitions, with a 1-1 draw against Leicester City the only blemish on new manager Sonia Bompastor's record thus far. Just prior to the break, we showed great resilience in our 2-1 win over Real Madrid in the Women's Champions League, showcasing the depth and quality that will be vital for our title aspirations.
And that depth and quality should improve even further, with the expected return of Lauren James, who has been declared fit and ready by the manager, after missing the last three months. Sam Kerr and Mia Fishel remain sidelined however. Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, who didn't feature against Madrid, isn't quite ready yet but should be ready for action soon.
Charlton team news: The Addicks, sitting just five points off first place in the Women's Championship but still stuck in eighth place in the table, will see this fixture as an opportunity to test themselves against one of the best teams in Europe. They are are no strangers to "the magic of the cup" having won this trophy in 2005, and will look to take inspiration from that to lift their spirits at Kingsmeadow.
Manager Karen Hills has built a squad that emphasizes collective effort, with midfielder Katie Bradley leading their goalscoring charts with five in all competitions. They will be without defender Beth Roe, who sustained a medial collateral ligament (MCL) injury during a Women's League Cup match against Crystal Palace in November.
Previously: Nearly five years ago, a brace of braces, from Drew Spence and Emily Murphy, netted us a 4-0 win in the same (fourth) round of the FA Cup.
