Chelsea will take on Bristol City this afternoon in the Continental Tyres League Cup final at Watford's Vicarage Road in hopes of defending their trophy.

The Blues currently sit top of the Women's Super League whilst Bristol sit second from bottom, having lost ten, drawn three, and won two. However, the Robins boosted their survival hopes with an emphatic win against Reading, which saw them leapfrog West Ham out of the drop zone.

The game ended 3-2, with goals coming from Charlie Wellings, Jemma Purfield and Ebony Salmon for Bristol, earning them a much-needed win as they continue to fight relegation.

The first goal of the match was gifted to Reading by a sloppy Bristol defense. Their second goal proved there was no change to the unorganised defending with the ball floating in behind the defence, leaving them flat-footed and allowing Rowe to control the ball, and smash it past the Bristol 'keeper.

Chelsea go into this game with a 3-1 aggregate win against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, which saw Maren Mjelde’s powerfully taken penalty take the second leg lead and put them 3-0 up on aggregate.

Las Colchoneras netted a consolation goal in added time, scoring the first goal over the two legs, but ultimately being a little too late to claw anything back. Chelsea progressed to the next round and will meet Wolfsburg in the final eight.

Chelsea will be without last year’s final winning goal scorer. Emma Hayes has revealed Chelsea forward Beth England will miss the game after suffering a concussion in Wednesday's European clash.

This will be a massive loss to the holding champions as England offers Hayes’ side far more than just a goal threat.

Bristol will be without club captain Jasmine Matthews for the remainder of the season due to injury. This is a blow to City, as she would have played an influential role in the final and the rest of the season.

Chelsea will look to dominate the midfield battle, contrary to the previous final against Arsenal who controlled the middle of the park, allowing them to dictate play. This was a problem quickly noticed by Hayes, who could be seen passing notes to Mjelde late in the first half.

The Blues have won 12 of their last 13 league games against Bristol, scoring 54 goals in the process. They’ve played them twice in the WSL this season, with the home game ending in a 9-0 win and the away game finishing in a 5-0 win. Bristol will no doubt enter the game as underdogs. However, they will hope to use the momentum of winning against Reading to secure a win against the Blues.

The Robins have triumphed in the Conti Cup this season, winning each game they’ve competed in leading up to the final. It'll be a troublesome test for Matt Beard’s side against the holders of the Cup, however, City enter the fixture in elation as they look for their first taste of silverware since 2007.

Chelsea head into this game as previous winners in 2019/20. A win for then will be their second League Cup trophy, adding to their already decorated cabinet of nine trophies in all competitions. On the other hand, a win for City will be their first Conti Cup trophy in the club’s history.

Ones to Watch

Finishing last season as Bristol’s top goal scorer with six goals and on course to be their top goal scorer this season, Ebony Salmon is no doubt a very important player for the Robins. She earned her first England cap this season, which is the result of a stellar season so far, at just 20 years of age. She will play a vital role in the game against Chelsea as she will try to play off the shoulder to punish the opposition's defence.

With Salmon's pace, strength and ability to play in tight spaces, Bristol will need to utilise this and try to play on the counter-attack to catch Chelsea out.

Chelsea’s Fran Kirby is going to the one to watch after signing a much-deserved contract extension, seeing her in blue till the summer of 2023, with the option to extend for a further 12 months.

January’s Player of the Month has scored 11 goals for Chelsea in 16 appearances and is on course to win another WSL trophy, adding to Chelsea’s already prestigious season. Chelsea will look to Kirby and others to bring the trophy back to the Kingsmeadow.

Last month’s fixture against Bristol saw Kirby open the scoring early on with a clinical headed effort, beating the keeper at the front post and the No.14 then got her second by half-time when she poked it into the net. Kirby will aim to emulate her performance last month with a great performance against City in the league cup final