Women's Academy sides prepare for two finals
This week marks a significant one for Manchester United Women.
Our Under-21s are poised to face Chelsea in the Academy League Cup final, looking to retain the trophy with a repeat of last year's success.
Meanwhile our Under-16s are, like the senior team, tasked with defeating the Gunners - this time the FA Girls’ Cup is on the line.
United Women are heading to Wembley!
ArticleThe Reds beat Brighton 3-2 in a tight game at Leigh Sports Village to reach the Women's FA Cup final for the first time.
UNDER-21s PREVIEW
Here are the key details of our upcoming clash…
– United v Chelsea Under-21s
– WSL Academy Cup Final
– Sunday 23 April
– 15:00 BST kick-off
– Loughborough University Stadium
Our talented crop of youngsters could once again end their campaign by lifting the WSL Academy Cup for a second consecutive season should they overcome a tough Chelsea side.
The Reds have been in high-flying form of late, picking up six wins in our last eight fixtures. The two exceptions were defeats to Leicester City - our first loss since late October - and Chelsea, who triumphed 2-0 on their home turf earlier this month.
PLAYERS TO LOOK OUT FOR
There are plenty of difference-makers in the United Under-21s ranks. Eleanor Ashton, for example, is our highest scorer across the current campaign, netting 17 goals in 22 appearances. She is followed closely by Megan Sofield, who has an impressive return of 12 goals in as many games.
We’ll also be able to call on the experience of Safia Middleton-Patel and Jessica Simpson, who recently signed long-term contracts with the club, along with both Keira Barry and Alyssa Aherne, who had an invaluable run-out for the senior team against Sheffield United in our final home fixture of 2022. The players themselves will also be able to tap into their own experiences of last year's final success when we beat Birmingham to lift the Cup, with United looking to repeat our fortunes.
How to watch and follow United Women v Arsenal
ArticleGet all the key information for the Gunners' crucial trip to Leigh Sports Village in the WSL on Wednesday.
Before our Under-21s showpiece, though, our Under-16s take centre stage on Saturday…
– United v Arsenal
– FA Girls’ Youth Cup Final
– Saturday 22 April
– 16:00 BST kick-off
– Loughborough University Stadium
This will be the second meeting between the clubs this week, following the senior sides' WSL clash at Leigh Sports Village on Wednesday night. Saturday will see the turn of our Under-16s as they go for silverware in the FA Girls’ Cup but beating Arsenal will be no easy task, given the north London side have won their league without a loss, mirroring their men's ‘Invincibles’ team of 2003/04.
The Reds have also been on quite a run of form too, having not lost a game since our second of the season when we were narrowly beaten at home by Sheffield United. The same opponents also ended our subsequent 10-game winning streak, by holding us to a draw. Thereafter, we racked up four more wins before another draw, 1-1 against Liverpool.
We have netted 66 goals across the season, with our top scorer being Tamira Livingston with 12 in 14 appearances, followed closely by Scarlett Hill on seven in 16.
Meanwhile, Arsenal have netted 100 times in their campaign, so this promises to be another enthralling encounter.
Good luck to all of our women's teams playing this week!