Chelsea v West Ham United women’s team
Adobe Women’s FA Cup fourth round, Kingsmeadow, Sunday 14 January 2024, 1pm GMT
West Ham United women’s team face holders Chelsea in the fourth round of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup on Sunday and will be hoping to cause an upset at Kingsmeadow to get the New Year off to a superb start.
Both teams return to action after a four-week period without a fixture over the Christmas period, a break which offered a chance for Rehanne Skinner to enhance her squad, bringing in three new signings.
Chelsea meanwhile have been rocked by injuries during the break, but they still no doubt prove a stern test in west London on Sunday.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the contest.
Tickets
Tickets can be purchased from the turnstiles at Kingsmeadow, priced at £15 for Adults and £7.50 for Over-65s/Under-20s.
How to follow
The fixture will be shown live on the FA Player, which you can watch for free!
Alternatively, you can also follow the action across our social media channels, while highlights and exclusive reaction will follow after the final whistle on whufc.com.
The Adobe Women's FA Cup
All Barclays Women's Super League sides have entered the FA Cup at this stage, marking the start of the sprint towards the final. 32 Clubs remain in the competition in this round, the lowest ranked of those being Luton Town Ladies, who play in the fifth tier.
Prize money has also increased for this season's edition of the competition, with teams that win their fourth round tie receiving £54,000. The winners of the final will take home £430,000 as well as the prestigious trophy.
On Wednesday, @jessbakersmith chatted with Shelina Zadorsky ahead of our upcoming #AdobeWomensFACup clash with Chelsea! 🏆
— West Ham United Women (@westhamwomen) January 12, 2024
Our No14 chatted about her first week in east London and Sunday's derby match! ⚒️
The Opposition
Chelsea away is arguably the toughest tie that could have been pulled out of the hat for the fourth round, but as Rehanne Skinner said in her pre-match press conference, “It is what it is, that’s football!”
Chelsea are five-time FA Cup winners and are on the hunt to finish Emma Hayes’ final season in charge at Kingsmeadow on a high, with the esteemed manager moving on to coach the United States national team after nearly 14 years in charge in west London.
Things have been going well for the Barclays Women’s Super League champions. They lead the standings in both the WSL and in their UEFA Women’s Champions League group.
However, they have been rocked with the news that Sam Kerr will miss the remainder of the campaign after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury during their warm weather training camp in Morocco earlier this month.
Hayes also confirmed that captain Mille Bright will miss the cup clash in west London, so the Blues will be a little light at the front and back when the Hammers head across the capital on Sunday.
Chelsea narrowly overcame Manchester United 1-0 in last year’s final at Wembley, with Kerr scoring the solitary goal at Wembley in May.
From the Manager
Skinner said that the Hammers have to use the positives from their previous showing against Chelsea in Sunday's fixture.
Whilst the Irons fell to a 2-0 defeat at Kingsmeadow in October, they created opportunities and produced a battling performance that was worthy of points on the night.
"When we played Chelsea earlier in the season, our performance against them was one that bolstered the way that we were trying to play from a player's perspective because we were so competitive in that game," she explained in her pre-match press conference.
"We were able to create chances and we limited their chances.
"We know that Chelsea will want to make a stance as the holders, we’ve got know doubt about that because that’s who they are and what they’re about.
"But for us, it’s to build on the way that we played against them last time and the positives that we were able to take from that performance."
Sunday's fixture is the first of three London derbies in the coming weeks, with Skinner's team also taking on Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal.
Both of those matches will take place at Chigwell Construction Stadium in Dagenham, and tickets are available to purchase by clicking here!
