Chelsea manager Emma Hayes says that she expects latest opponents Birmingham City to sit deep and try to frustrate her side when the pair contest their Vitality Women’s FA Cup quarter-final tie at Kingsmeadow this afternoon.
Hayes’ side have already defeated Birmingham City by large margins twice this season and she believes that the Midlands club will try to stifle Chelsea’s attack in their third meeting this afternoon.
When speaking in the pre-match press conference, Hayes was very clear with what she is expecting from Birmingham City.
“I expect them to have 11 players behind the ball and I expect them to sit deep and frustrate us,” Hayes said.
“For us, our standards have to be at the highest end because when you play these kind of games when you are given little space, you’ve got to be patient and clever with your movement and decision-making. I expect it to be a tough game for that reason.”
While Birmingham City look set for FA Women’s Championship football next season, Hayes went on to issue a reminder of their attacking qualities against top sides.
She said “They scored three goals against Arsenal in two games. Organisationally, the two coaches have made them tougher to beat but they have also given them something going forward.
“They’ve maybe been a little bit unfortunate sometimes, maybe because of the lack of depth compared to the quality that everyone else has. On their day, they have proved that they can score goals and get results against top teams so we are mindful of that.”
Chelsea’s Vitality Women’s FA Cup quarter-final tie against Birmingham City kicks-off at 2pm this afternoon. No tickets will be on-sale at Kingsmeadow due to ongoing restrictions.
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