Kingsmeadow, England – Chelsea Women go dey prepare to face Crystal Palace Women on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, as dem look for way to bounce back from one heavy defeat wey dem suffer from Barcelona for Champions League semi-final. Dis match go start sharp 7:15 PM BST (2:15 PM EDT) for Kingsmeadow, and na BBC Three go show am live for di UK, while streaming dey available for BBC iPlayer and ESPN+ for di United States.
Di Blues dey top di Women’s Super League table wit 51 points, three points ahead of Arsenal, as dem dey chase dia sixth consecutive WSL title. Dis season no dey easy, but Chelsea show say dem get potential to recover from setbacks. Manager Sonia Bompastor talk say, ‘E pain me but we need to react.’ She further emphasize say, ‘Dis na opportunity to bounce back; we need to show say we fit get positive result.’ Dis match go fit help dem gain confidence ahead of di return leg against Barcelona on Sunday.
Chelsea don collect just one win from dia last outings in di league after dem allow two-goal lead slip against rival West Ham on March 30. Meanwhile, Crystal Palace dey struggle at di bottom of di table, gats seven points behind safety with only two wins dis whole season. Dem dey face relegation threat, but dem still dey hope to spoil Chelsea’s title chase.
In dia previous encounter, Chelsea netted Palace 7-0 in di league, showing dia attacking power. Even though di last FA Cup meeting finish 1-0, dat goh give di Blues enough reason to believe sey dem fit manage another big win. Bompastor know say di most dangerous teams na dem ones wey get nothing to lose, saying, ‘If Palace don accept dia fate, dem go look for chance to spoil our plan.’ Dis match dey critical for both teams. A victory for Chelsea go extend dia lead and boost morale, while Palace go want salvage dia pride.
As for injury issues, Chelsea go miss Lauren James wey still dey recover from hamstring injury, but Naomi Girma don return fit to play. Bompastor go rotate her squad for dis match to fit prepare for di Champions League. Crystal Palace manager Leif Gunnar Smerud wan guide im players make dem collect any rare chance against di champions.
Di game dey set to feature two formations: Chelsea go likely play 4-2-3-1 with players like goalkeeper Hannah Hampton and captain Millie Bright leading di charge, while Crystal Palace also dey prepare to set up similar formation. Dis match go dey critical for Chelsea to prove dem self as di league leaders and for Palace to show sey dem no dey go down without fight.
Fans go expect say Chelsea go dominate possession and aim to score as plenty goals as dem fit. With 29 shots in di last league match against Palace, dem dey prepared to replicate dat performance. Chelsea dey sit on di top wit impressive goal difference of +40, while Crystal Palace dey languish at di bottom wit just 9 points and goal difference of -36. Dis big difference fit make di game look one-sided, but for football, anything fit happen.
As di match dey approach, tension dey high for both sides. Will Chelsea show dia dominance again, or fit Crystal Palace pull off one miracle upset? No matter di outcome, dis match go be another exciting chapter for di Women’s Super League.
