Four games in 12 days: Where Chelsea-Man City match-ups will be won and lost as WSL rivals prepare for season-defining duels

The two English giants will face off in the League Cup, Champions League and Women's Super League in March – so what could decide this unique series?

It's not often that any football team finds itself facing the same opponent four times in a row, but when Chelsea and Manchester City meet in the Women's League Cup final on Saturday, it'll be the first instalment of a quadruple-header which also sees the two English giants pitted against one another in the Champions League quarter-finals and then in the Women's Super League. There is also the potential for the pair to meet in the Women's FA Cup final in May, should both win their semi-final ties.

If the anticipation ahead of these four games was not already huge, it intensified on Monday when City made the incredible decision to make a managerial change just five days before a cup final. After some underwhelming results in a tough season, the club parted ways with Gareth Taylor and announced the temporary return of former head coach Nick Cushing, who led the team between 2013 and 2020.

That is certainly one major point in focus ahead of these matches, but what else could make the difference as Chelsea and Man City try to keep themselves in the hunt for success across the board? GOAL picks out six potentially decisive factors in their four encounters in March, ahead of the first meeting this weekend…

Getty ImagesCentre-back pairings

Neither of these teams are blessed with depth in the heart of defence right now. Injuries to Kadeisha Buchanan, Maelys Mpome and January signing Naomi Girma have left Chelsea with just Nathalie Bjorn and Millie Bright to choose from for now, with Buchanan's season over and Mpome's return date unknown. Girma is at least not expected to be out for long.

Meanwhile, City captain Alex Greenwood had knee surgery just before Christmas and Rebecca Knaak, signed in January to reinforce the position, suffered a hamstring issue during the February international break. It leaves Laia Aleixandri partnering either Gracie Prior, the academy youngster who only made her first senior start at centre-back last week, or Naomi Layzell, whose limited game time recently perhaps points to a lack of fitness after some injuries of her own.

Throw in some uncertainties in the goalkeeper position, with Chelsea having needed to sign Becky Spencer on an emergency loan this month while City continue to flip-flop between Ayaka Yamashita and Khiara Keating, and the elite centre-forwards both can count upon, and neutrals will hope that all four of these meetings could be goal-fests. The managers, of course, will be hoping otherwise, and that their teams can power through with the personnel available.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesPotential returnees

Both clubs will hope that their squads fill out in defence and beyond as this month unfolds. Chelsea were without Mpome, Girma, Guro Reiten and Keira Walsh for their FA Cup quarter-final win over Crystal Palace last week, none of whom have been described as long-term absentees. With Erin Cuthbert making her first start for a month, Mia Fishel returning to the matchday squad after over a year out and Sam Kerr into the latter stages of her recovery from an ACL injury, there are plenty of faces who could be in line to return just in time to make a real impact as Chelsea's fight across four fronts intensifies.

It's a similar story for City. Greenwood and Lionesses team-mate Lauren Hemp could potentially be back from their respective knee surgeries this month to boost their team at the perfect time, while Knaak, Laura Coombs and Aoba Fujino are among those with less serious issues who could also return soon.

As the games start to come thick and fast, these are players who would bolster numbers as well as confidence, and both teams will hope to see them in the mix over the course of this period.

Getty ImagesTrust in youth

Both of these teams have put their trust in youngsters this season, for differing reasons. Chelsea have been building up to making the likes of Maika Hamano, Wieke Kaptein and Aggie Beever-Jones more prominent players, with the former two signed as teenagers and blossoming out on loan before returning to be first-team stars, while the latter has risen through the academy to make her mark.

City, meanwhile, have been forced to turn to some of their youngsters perhaps a little earlier than they'd have expected, due to injuries. But those given opportunities have been able to make a difference, with Lily Murphy in particular enjoying a real breakout in the forward line while Prior's emergence has bolstered the options in a thin defence.

All of those mentioned have varying degrees of experience at the top level, be it in England or abroad, but all are about to be thrown into the demands of the business end of the season like never before. Hamano and Beever-Jones were involved in these double gameweeks last term and had their moments, but not in the prominent roles likely to come to them this time around.

It's going to be fascinating to see how these exciting young players take to the demands of this part of the campaign for an elite side for the first time – and whether their fearlessness can be an asset as the stakes get higher.

Getty ImagesSquad management

Most onlookers will probably favour Chelsea in this four-game series, not just because they got the better of City in their one meeting earlier this season, sit some 12 points ahead in the WSL and watched their opponents make a shock managerial switch in the build-up to this match, but also because of their superior squad depth.

The Blues, quite simply, have more players available right now, and many of their injury concerns are not as significant or long-term. As such, they're also more likely to get players back over the course of the next two weeks. It means head coach Sonia Bompastor will have more wiggle room when it comes to rotation in these four games – and the players she can rotate in all have significant experience, too, with the Blues' strength in depth just greater than City's.

How can the Manchester club combat that? It certainly isn't with numbers, that is for sure. Instead, it's likely that particular games and certain competitions in this stretch will take priority over others. It's up to the returning Cushing to figure out how that pecking order might look, though Monday's statement about Taylor's departure may have given a big clue as to which match is likely to top the list…