Manchester United and Chelsea are both looking for their first Women’s Super League victory of the season when they meet at the Progress With Unity Stadium on Sunday.
United began Eva Olid’s tenure with a 2-1 defeat at London City Lionesses, while Chelsea were held to a 1-1 draw by Aston Villa despite dominating their opening league match at Stamford Bridge.
The results leave both sides with something to address. United need to produce more over 90 minutes after spending long periods under pressure against London City, while Chelsea’s challenge is turning their considerable chance creation into goals.
Manchester United vs Chelsea match information
Competition: Barclays Women’s Super League
Date: Sunday 13 September 2026
Kick-off: 12pm BST / 13 pm CEST
Venue: Progress With Unity Stadium, Leigh
TV: Sky Sports Mix
Watching from outside the UK? Try W-Sport or the Barclays WSL YouTube.
More than 5,000 tickets have already been sold for United’s first home league game under Olid.
How to watch Manchester United vs Chelsea
Supporters in the UK can watch Manchester United against Chelsea live on Sky Sports Mix. MUTV, ManUtd.com and the Manchester United App will also provide live radio commentary, while international television and streaming availability depends on the territory.
Manchester United looking for a response
Olid’s first competitive match in charge ended in defeat, but United did improve as their game against London City progressed. The bigger concern was how much pressure they allowed the newly promoted side to generate.
London City went ahead after nine minutes and continued creating opportunities, with Phallon Tullis-Joyce required to make several saves. United gradually became more dangerous after Olid turned to her bench, but Daniëlle van de Donk’s 82nd-minute goal left them with too much to do.
Simi Awujo provided one of the positives. The Canada international had not featured during preseason but made an impact after replacing Julia Zigiotti Olme. She threatened with a header before scoring United’s consolation deep into stoppage time.
Monica Jusu Bah also made her competitive debut from the bench, while summer signing Andrea Medina started at left-back.
Manchester United team news
Jayde Riviere required stitches in her tongue after taking a knock early in the London City game but was able to continue until the 84th minute. The Canada international subsequently indicated that she was okay.
Jusu Bah and Medina could make their home debuts, while Rebeca Bernal and Janina Leitzig were unused substitutes in Bromley and are also waiting for their first competitive United appearances.
Fridolina Rolfö missed the London City match, while Celin Bizet Donnum remains a long-term absentee after giving birth in June. Layla Drury and Lucy Newell are away with England at the FIFA Women’s U20 World Cup.
Awujo’s impact gives Olid an interesting midfield decision. After scoring from the bench and offering another physical presence in the second half, she could earn her first start of the season against Chelsea.
Predicted Manchester United lineup
Tullis-Joyce; Riviere, Le Tissier, Janssen, Medina; Miyazawa, Awujo; Park, Toone, Sandberg; Terland.
Predicted lineup will be updated following the latest team news.
Chelsea need to turn dominance into goals
Chelsea’s opening result was frustrating for a very different reason. Sonia Bompastor’s side produced 34 shots, recorded 57 touches in Aston Villa’s penalty area and made 60 entries into the final third, yet finished with only one goal and one point.
Lauren James gave Chelsea an early lead after Ellie Carpenter won possession high up the pitch, but the Blues repeatedly failed to extend their advantage.
Keira Walsh struck the underside of the crossbar, Aggie Beever-Jones had a goal ruled out for offside and Villa goalkeeper Akane Okuma made several important saves. Chelsea were eventually punished when an unfortunate deflection off Veerle Buurman resulted in Villa’s equaliser.
Bompastor’s assessment afterwards was straightforward: Chelsea created more than enough opportunities to win but needed to be considerably more clinical.
That makes Sunday’s contest particularly interesting. United conceded numerous chances at London City, while creating chances was certainly not Chelsea’s problem against Villa.
Chelsea team news
Melvine Malard is one of the main players to monitor before Sunday’s game. The former Manchester United forward scored twice on her Chelsea debut against Real Sociedad but subsequently picked up a knock in training. Bompastor said after the Villa game that Malard should return soon, although she could not provide an exact timeframe.
If fit, Malard could make her WSL debut for Chelsea against her former club. Erin Cuthbert, Nathalie Björn, Manaka Matsukubo and Mayra Ramírez are yet to feature this season.
Lola Brown and Chloe Sarwie are also unavailable while representing England at the U20 World Cup.
Chelsea’s failure to beat Villa is unlikely to demand wholesale changes. Their overall performance was dominant, with the lack of finishing rather than chance creation the obvious problem.
Predicted Chelsea lineup
Hampton; Carpenter, Buurman, Bronze, McCabe; Walsh, Nüsken; Thompson, Kaptein, James; Beever-Jones.
Predicted lineup will be updated following the latest team news.
What to expect
History strongly favours Chelsea. Manchester United are still searching for their first WSL victory over the Blues. Last season’s meeting in Leigh finished 1-1, before Chelsea won the return fixture 1-0 at Stamford Bridge.
That does not mean United have never beaten Chelsea. Their breakthrough came in April 2024, when goals from Lucía García and Rachel Williams secured a 2-1 Women’s FA Cup semi-final victory. United will need another high-level performance to change their league record on Sunday.
The first challenge is dealing with Chelsea’s press. Carpenter winning possession high up the pitch directly created James’ opener against Villa, and Chelsea repeatedly forced their opponents to defend around their own penalty area.
That could be uncomfortable for a United side that struggled to establish control against London City. But Chelsea also arrive with a vulnerability of their own.
Creating 34 shots and scoring only once against Villa is an extreme example of the finishing problem Bompastor wants to address. If United can stay in the contest, Tullis-Joyce has already shown that she can make the saves required to keep her side alive.
United’s substitutions also improved their attacking threat last weekend. Awujo scored, Jusu Bah offered something different and Lea Schüller gives Olid another attacking option from the bench.
Sunday should therefore tell us plenty about both teams: whether United can respond to a difficult opening performance and whether Chelsea can add the ruthlessness that was missing at Stamford Bridge.
Manchester United vs Chelsea: Prediction
United should improve at home, and Chelsea’s record at this ground suggests the contest could be closer than their respective opening performances might indicate.
But the sheer volume of chances Chelsea created against Villa is difficult to ignore. If Bompastor’s side reproduce that level of attacking pressure and become even slightly more clinical, United could struggle to contain them.
Prediction: Manchester United 1-2 Chelsea
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