Gotham FC vs Chelsea F.C. Women preview: The summer friendly

The summer has been pretty great for NJ/NY Gotham FC between the Olympics and NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup.  The Bats now have to get back into the regular season groove.  However, before then, they will play a friendly against Chelsea F.C. Women.

This should be an entertaining matchup regardless of who plays for the two teams.  Each roster has plenty of talent with solid depth.  It would be nice to see some of the ladies that were at the Olympics make an appearance.  Yet, it would make sense for Juan Carlos Amorós to give them more rest after playing a game every few days.

So who should start?  Ella Stevens and Yazmeen Ryan should be a no-doubter in the attack.  It would be good to see Bruninha in the right midfield/winger position to see what she does in the attack. Moreover, the head coach should start Jess Carter in the backline since she is playing against her former team.  If Ann-Katrin Berger wants to play, then maybe she can come on as a sub since she played every single game for Germany at the Olympics.

With the English team in the middle of the preseason, it should be an interesting game to watch.  Here is a preview of the battle between Gotham FC and Chelsea F.C. Women.

Date 

Gotham FC and Chelsea will face off on Monday, August 19.

Time

The fixture is at 7:00 PM ET.

Location

The match will occur at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, NJ.

How to watch

Fans can watch the game on the MSG Network for those local to the area and then via DAZN around the world.

Weather

The weather will be decent at the time of kickoff.  It will be partly cloudy and around 76 degrees.  There is a slight chance of rain as well.

Injury Report

Midge Purce (knee) is out for the year while Abby Smith remains on the season-ending injury list (lower leg).

The injury report is unknown and it is possible the club will not release one since this is a friendly.

Players to watch

Gotham FC fans should watch Bruninha.  The Brazilian had a good game against Angel City FC in the Summer Cup semifinals where she was more of an offensive player.  As mentioned, Amorós should start her in the attack to see whether she can be utilized there more often.  This will be something to watch to see whether the head coach goes that route. 

On Chelsea, supporters should watch their newest signing, if she plays, Lucy Bronze.  She is one of England’s best defenders and has had a career where she has been with some of the best teams.  It did not matter whether she was at Manchester City W.F.C. or FC Barcelona Femení.  She has always performed at the highest level and will likely do so with Chelsea.

Prediction

Since this is friendly, it is expected that many players on the teams will get opportunities to play.  Therefore, the prediction is that Gotham FC and Chelsea will draw 1-1.  Since the Bats are in the middle of their season, they will have a stronger performance.