Liverpool will travel to Kingsmeadow to face Chelsea in the Adobe Women’s FA Cup semi-finals on Saturday, after profiting from a late own goal to beat Arsenal in the last round to progress to the final four.
Interim head coach Amber Whiteley spoke to the media ahead of the fixture, and believes that Liverpool have got what it takes to progress to the final.
She said: “If we perform on the day we can beat anyone in front of us. Chelsea have got quality all over the pitch, they’re a world class side but if we execute the game plan we know we can cause some problems.”
“I think it’s about the details within the game plan and executing. We’re going to have to have balance within our play so we’re going to have moments or spells without the ball, we’ll have to remain organised and disciplined with our out of possession shape.”
Whiteley added that they have ‘taken a lot of confidence’ from the quarter-final against Arsenal and have shown the top teams that they can compete.
It is the first time the Reds have reached a semi-final in eight years so it is a huge achievement for the side, but of course the goal will be to reach the final.
“It’s a really exciting prospect being one away from Wembley and that’s the incentive for definite but the full focus has got to be on the game and the task in hand. We want to put absolutely everything in on Saturday and give ourselves the best possible chance of progressing to the final,” Whiteley told the media.
“It would be huge [reaching the final] for our following, for our fanbase so we’ll try and give our fans a performance to be really proud of and a day to look forward to at Wembley hopefully.”
Liverpool face tough competition in Chelsea, who remain unbeaten at the top of the Women’s Super League, while the Reds sit in sixth.
They had put in a good run of results when Whiteley first took over, beating Crystal Palace and Manchester United in the league, but lost their last two fixtures against Arsenal and Aston Villa before the international break.
Whiteley has credited Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor for taking her side ‘to another level’ but said Liverpool have ‘confidence and belief’ as teams have been able to take points away from the Blues in recent games.
It is confirmed that Olivia Smith is back in full training and should be available to play a part this weekend, but Ceri Holland – who returned early from international break – has been ruled out of Saturday’s fixture.
When questioned on the packed schedule with players only just returning from international duty, Whiteley explained: “It’s a busy period for sure, but it’s the same for both sides. It’s the hand that you’re dealt with if you’re in this stage of the competition at this time of the season, it’s what you have to expect and deal with. Yes it’s a challenge to get the same level of detail in your preparation and training but you have to find ways around that. We make the best of what we have got available to us.”
Chelsea v Liverpool kicks off at 12:15 BST on Saturday, while Sunday sees Manchester City take on Manchester United in the other semi-final.
