A look at the facts before the finals.
The highly-anticipated Continental Cup final is just around the corner and is set to take place at the iconic Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton.
Chelsea and defending champions Arsenal are set to compete against each other once again in a Continental Cup final.
This final is a replica of last year’s final which saw Arsenal lift the trophy at Selhurst Park after they secured a 3-1 win over Chelsea.
Arsenal boasts the most trophy wins in the competition, and they will be looking to add to their impressive haul but to do that, the Gunners will have to go through an ambitious and relentless Chelsea side.
This will be Chelsea’s 5th appearance in the Conti Cup final, with the experience of having won it twice under their belt. If this final goes the Blues way, Chelsea will still be on track to complete a quadruple sweep where they can potentially pick up more silverware.
Road to the final.
The road to this final looks very different for these two sides.
Chelsea had an easier road to the final. They had the luxury of joining the tournament at the quarterfinal stage due to playing in the UWCL. After dismantling Sunderland 5-0 in the quarterfinals, they were only a step away from the Molineux. In the semi-final against Manchester City, Lauren James scored a goal in the 8th minute and sent the Blues to the final.
On the other hand, Arsenal had to take a longer path to reach this stage. They emerged victorious in their feats through the group stage. Then went on to beat both of their quarterfinal and semi-final opponents by 4-0, the momentum they will be looking to carry into this final as they defend their title.
So what can we expect?
Both teams have met twice in the WSL this season, with Arsenal winning at the Emirates and Chelsea winning at Stamford Bridge. This shows that they both can perform in front of large crowds and that the atmosphere at the Molineux won’t hold either side back from pulling a performance out of the bag.
Their most recent match was 2 weeks ago when Chelsea beat Arsenal 3-1 at Stamford Bridge, with Lauren James scoring once and Sjoeke Nusken scoring twice.
However, back in December, Arsenal beat Chelsea 4-1 at the Emirates Stadium with goals from Beth Mead, Amanda Ilestedt, and two from Alessia Russo.
Based on these previous results, it’s difficult to predict who will come out on top, especially with what’s at stake here.
Arsenal have the potential to outdo Chelsea and lift a seventh Conti Cup if they exploit Chelsea the way they did at the Emirates. Chelsea played Ajax at Stamford Bridge in the UWCL just days before so Arsenal could take advantage of a potentially weaker side.
However, Chelsea are a determined side, so there is no doubt in my mind that they will not go down without a fight.
Maariyah and Football 
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