Manchester City vs Chelsea, 2024-25 UEFA Women’s Champions League Quarterfinal – Preview, Prediction, H2H, Predicted Lineups and More

Chelsea is preparing for a swift rematch with Manchester City following their League Cup victory, but the stakes are bigger this time around as they play in the UEFA Women’s Champions League quarterfinals. This two-leg match comes barely 12 days after the League Cup final on Saturday and before a Women’s Super League (WSL) match. It is the second of four meetings between the two teams.

The first leg of the Women’s Champions League quarterfinals between Manchester City Women and Chelsea Women will take place just a few days after their matchup in the Women’s League Cup final.

In the first of four meetings between the two teams, Chelsea won the match on Sunday at Pride Park.

Chelsea defeated their opponents in Derby to win their first trophy under Sonia Bompastor, but the manager has higher ambitions because a quadruple could still be possible this season.

With Nick Cushing back in the role of manager after Gareth Taylor left, Manchester City will aim to finish in the last four and try to stop their run for at least one trophy.

This season, Chelsea has been absolutely dominant, and although Emma Hayes left last year, new manager Sonia Bompastor has overseen a smooth transfer into a new era. After defeating City in the Women’s League Cup final on Saturday, the Blues are still undefeated in all competitions and have a chance to score a historic quadruple.

Days before the final, the Sky Blues parted with Gareth Taylor, and previous manager Nick Cushing returned to replace him temporarily. Despite their poor performance in the Women’s Super League this season—they are currently 12 points behind Chelsea at the top—Cushing’s team put on a strong show in their loss at Pride Park, and there is still optimism that they can surprise everyone over these two legs.

After winning all six of their group matches, the Blues went to the UWCL quarterfinals, while City defeated the imposing Barcelona in Group D but came in second.

Only a few days ago, Chelsea defeated City 2-1 to win the first trophy of the season. They now face each other once more, beginning a crucial last-eight matchup.

There was a fierce struggle in the League Cup final at Pride Park. After a deflection off Laia Aleixandri, Mayra Ramirez bundled in to put the WSL leaders ahead early.

Even though they were behind, Nick Cushing’s team rallied and equalized after the break thanks to a spectacular goal from Aoba Fujino.

The game was still close until a late cross from Sonia Bompastor’s team went into the net after deflecting off Yui Hasegawa.

With these heavyweights scheduled to face each other four times in a row, round two is sure to be an exciting fight.

When is Manchester City vs Chelsea?

On Wednesday, March 19, at 8 p.m. GMT, the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinal match is scheduled to begin at the Joie Stadium.

What time does Man City vs Chelsea kick off?

Location: Manchester, England
Stadium: Joie Stadium
Date: Wednesday 19 March
Kick-off: 20:00 GMT / 15:00 ET / 12:00 PT
Referee: Desiree Grundbacher (SUI)
VAR: Willy Delajod (FRA)

When does Chelsea vs. Manchester City start?

This Champions League match begins at 8:00 p.m. local time on Wednesday, March 19 at Manchester, England’s Joie Stadium.

In the United States, that time is expressed as follows:

• Eastern Time: Wed, Mar. 19 – 4:00 p.m.
• Central Time: Wed, Mar. 19 – 3:00 p.m.
• Mountain Time: Wed, Mar. 19 – 2:00 p.m.
• Pacific Time: Wed, Mar. 19 – 1:00 p.m.

Manchester City vs Chelsea Match Preview

Ahead of a challenging run of four successive matches against Chelsea, Man City decided to switch managers. They removed Gareth Taylor and then brought back Nick Cushing for a second spell.

Cushing won four titles during his first season as Man City’s manager, including the League Cup twice in 2014 and 2016, the FA Cup in 2016–17, and the Women’s Super League trophy in 2016.

In his first game back in the dugout, Cushing oversaw a close 2-1 loss to Chelsea in Sunday’s League Cup final at Pride Park, but he was unable to add to his trophy haul.

Man City, who won five of their six group games (L1) and will now focus on Wednesday’s European match after missing out on one trophy possibility, will be playing in the quarterfinals for the first time since 2020–21.

Due to their poor head-to-head record, the Citizens had to settle for second place even though they finished tied with the defending European champions, Barcelona, on 15 points.

Man City has won all four of their European games (including qualifying) at the Joie Stadium by a cumulative score of 9-0, giving them a perfect home record in the 2024–25 Women’s Champions League.

Chelsea won the League Cup final 2-1 over the weekend, with two goals from Mayra Ramirez and Yui Hasegawa. It was the first trophy of the Sonia Bompastor era.

The Blues will hope that was the first trophy of a potential quadruple, and they will think they have every chance of accomplishing that unique achievement because they have won all 28 of Bompastor’s competitive games (W26, D2).

There is still work to be done in those competitions, but the Blues will consider the Women’s Champions League the hardest to win, even if they have an eight-point lead at the top of the WSL table and will be in the FA Cup semi-finals next month.

Chelsea’s best European campaign occurred in 2020–21 when they advanced to the final under Emma Hayes before losing badly to Barcelona 4-0 after the match.

The West London team, who have advanced from each of their previous five appearances in the last eight, will undoubtedly find great confidence in their flawless record in the European quarterfinals.

Also, they have defeated Man City 1-0 in their last three league games, including their most recent trip to the Joie Stadium in March 2024 for the League Cup semifinals.

Manchester City vs Chelsea Team News

Manchester City Team News

Although Manchester City earned 15 points for their outstanding performance in the Champions League group stage, they fell to Barcelona on tiebreakers for the top spot. Even though they defeated the Catalans 3-2, the English team lost the rematch 0-3. The club is now four points behind the third-place team in the English Super League.

Alex Greenwood and Lauren Hemp are two familiar faces that Man City is once again missing. Both Lionesses are battling knee issues.

Rebecca Knaak, who joined the team in January, will not be playing because of a hamstring injury.

In addition, Bunny Shaw is doubtful for the first leg due to a hamstring injury she suffered in Saturday’s final. Jess Park will join Jill Roord and Yui Hasegawa in midfield, and Vivianne Miedema will probably move into Cushing’s attack if the prolific forward is not available.

Both attacker Lauren Hemp and defender Alex Greenwood are recovering from knee ailments, thus Man City is unable to rely upon them.

Rebecca Knaak, a January acquisition, is unlikely to play because she has been sidelined for the past four games due to a hamstring injury.

Star striker Bunny Shaw was pulled from Sunday’s cup final due to a minor hamstring injury, so Man City will need to evaluate her fitness.

Naomi Girma, Sophie Ingle, Maelys Mpome, Kadeisha Buchanan, Sam Kerr, Zecira Musovic, and Femke Liefting are not present among the guests.

Chelsea Team News

Sonja Bombastor succeeded the renowned Emma Hayes as Chelsea’s coach before the season, and the team has produced incredible results since. The Londoners have scored in every game this season and have not lost. They won their first trophy a few days ago after defeating Manchester City 2-1 in the League Cup final. The team is still vying for every title imaginable.

Although Bompastor is still without a large list of players, Chelsea’s performance in the League Cup final should persuade her to make some alterations to her starting lineup.

The visitors are without Naomi Girma, Sophie Ingle, Maelys Mpome, Femke Liefting, Zecira Musovic, Kadeisha Buchanan, and Sam Kerr.

Read more: Wolfsburg vs Barcelona, 2024-25 UEFA Women’s Champions League Quarterfinal – Preview, Prediction, H2H, Predicted Lineups and More

Niamh Charles, the Lioness, may start at left-back, but Aggie Beever-Jones is vying for a starting position upstairs. Mayra Ramirez, who opened the scoring over the weekend and has scored a few UWCL goals this season, should stay in Bompastor’s front line.

Following her stint on the sidelines, Mia Fishel has been included in the squad for the final three matchdays; however, because she was left off of Chelsea’s knockout phase roster, she is not eligible to play in the Champions League.

Maika Hamano, Aggie Beever-Jones, and Niamh Charles are some of the players who could be considered for starting positions if Bompastor wants to freshen up her team.

Manchester City vs Chelsea Head to Head (H2H)

In the last seven games, Manchester City has only lost once, and that was against Chelsea. Chelsea has not lost this season and is playing really well. Chelsea has won three straight games and drawn only one in the previous ten games. This season, Chelsea has scored at least one goal in each game. In the current Champions League campaign, the Londoners’ offensive ranks third. In 12 straight games, Man City has scored at least one goal. Chelsea has won 50% of its games this season without giving up a goal. Chelsea prevailed 2-1 in their most recent head-to-head match. Three Blues victories, one City victory, and one draw have occurred in the last five meetings.

Man City vs Chelsea H2H record (last five games)

Man City: 1 win
Chelsea: 3 wins
Draws: 1
Last meeting: Chelsea 2-1 Man City (15 March 2025) – Women’s League Cup

How to watch Chelsea vs. Manchester City on TV in the US and the UK

The match will be televised live in the UK on TNT Sports 1, with coverage starting at 7:30 p.m. GMT. Subscribers will be able to watch a live stream for free on Dazn’s YouTube channel or through Discovery+.

• United Kingdom: discovery+, discovery+ App, DAZN UK, TNT Sports 1
• United States: DAZN USA
• Canada: DAZN Canada

Manchester City vs Chelsea Live Stream, TV Channel

Here’s how to watch this Women’s Champions League match in the U.S.:

Live stream: DAZN, YouTube

There will be no live TV broadcast of this match in the United States. DAZN, which is the home of women’s European football, offers streaming alternatives.

DAZN’s YouTube channel will also stream live Women’s Champions League matches.

A 12-month subscription to DAZN costs $19.99, and a month-to-month subscription costs $24.99. The cost of the subscription is $224.99 per year.

Manchester City vs Chelsea Predicted Lineups

Manchester City XI: Yamashita; Casparij, Prior, Aleixandri, Ouahabi; Hasegawa, Roord, Miedema; Park, Kerolin, Fowler.

Chelsea XI: Hampton; Bronze, Bjorn, Bright, Baltimore; Cuthbert, Nusken; Rytting-Kaneryd, James, Macario; Ramirez.

Man City vs Chelsea Prediction

Over 12 days, these two clubs meet four times. The League Cup final was won by Chelsea on Saturday, and they now face each other again. The Londoners have yet to win the Women’s Champions League, despite having a stellar record.

Manchester City is having a hard time getting into the Women’s Champions League for the upcoming season. In the group stages, they performed admirably, particularly while defeating Barcelona at home. They will hope to grab the lead going into the second leg against Chelsea.

Cushing’s City appeared to be on the rise on Saturday, but Chelsea’s recent brutality was evident as they won the first piece of silverware of the season.

Bompastor’s Blues are establishing themselves as a formidable force and wins like the one they achieved over the weekend will strengthen the perception that they are invincible. The new manager has a strong track record in Europe, and this is the only major trophy the London club has yet to win.

Chelsea won’t be sitting back after their triumph on Saturday, but an improved City will undoubtedly make the visitors work. To almost guarantee their spot in the final four, they will be focused on securing a significant victory away from home.

Before the return leg next week, Man City will be desperate to take advantage of home advantage, but we predict that a draw against Chelsea, who haven’t lost since Bompastor took over last summer, would break their perfect home record in Europe.

Both clubs will have a challenging match, and City has already defeated Barcelona this season. Chelsea, on the other hand, appears more formidable because of their powerful play, knowledgeable coach, and well-defined playing system.