Chelsea
Manager Emma Hayes
Speak to the Chelsea players and they’ll tell you that they love playing for Emma. I worked with her at Arsenal for a couple of years when she assisted Vic Akers and, like everyone else, found her to be a great coach – always forward-thinking and dedicated to improving herself and her players. That is exactly what we have seen at Chelsea since she took over in 2012 – they have not stopped evolving as a team.
How they will play
Chelsea will look for goals from the off. Emma loves the attacking game and is not shy about saying it, so the plan will be to get the ball as quickly as possible to players such as Gemma Davison, Eni Aluko and Ji So-yun. They have great firepower but showed with their recent signing of Fran Kirby from Reading that they are still building on their attacking threat.
Players to watch
Chelsea have a number of players who worked with Emma at Arsenal, and their experience of FA Cup finals will be important. One of them, Katie Chapman, is a midfield battler who has done the unseen, dirty work brilliantly throughout her career and is a key player for them. Niamh Fahey and Gilly Flaherty, at the back, are also well schooled in winning trophies from their Arsenal days.
Claire Rafferty, a forward-thinking left back, is a long-serving player who will also be very important. She recovered from injury to perform superbly for England at the World Cup. Ahead of her is perhaps the star of the show.
Ji is a wonderful, technical player who sees things that other people don’t – not unlike Kelly Smith in this country. She can turn you with a stepover, has great vision for a pass and can score. It’s the full package and she is definitely one you will not be able to take your eyes off at Wembley. But their attacking threat as a whole is unbelievable – you don’t want to see Davison running at you or Aluko bearing down on goal, and they scare opponents on a weekly basis.
Notts County
Manager Rick Passmoor
You’ll probably hear Rick if you’re sitting in the stands at Wembley. He’s a very vocal manager, talking his players through the game and demanding the highest standards possible from them. He has done a very good job since joining two and a half years ago.
How they will play
Every team hates playing against Notts County. You know you’ll be up against a physical side with a real aggressive element to them. That’s the biggest part of their game and, if you don’t match it, you’re going to come up short.
Players to watch
Laura Bassett is the cornerstone of Notts County’s defence. She made the headlines during the World Cup but has just gone back to doing what she does. Against my team, Arsenal, on Saturday she was just as you would expect – that solid, strong character at the back, going in for every single tackle and commanding everyone around her.
They have a good balance between the back four and a pacy, dynamic attack. Rachel Williams gives them that aggression getting up the pitch while spearheading the frontline they have Jess Clarke, who has scored goals for fun all season and was rightly disappointed to be left out of England’s World Cup squad. Ellen White is another who will always score goals and, if Notts County can keep a clean sheet, they will always have danger in them.
On that topic their goalkeeper, Carly Telford, is worth a mention too. She suffered a dislocated shoulder while with England during the World Cup and there has been some controversy about the fact that Notts County have not been allowed to call up a replacement for day. But she played against us on Saturday and had an outstanding game, showing no ill effects, and knowing her I have no doubt she will be fit and raring to go at Wembley.
Verdict
It should be close, with the teams sitting next to each other in the league and both having several players in superb form. Chelsea are the favourites on paper but they will find themselves in trouble if they do not match Notts County’s physicality and aggression. As long as they can stand up to it, they should have too much in their locker – too many attacking threats against a backline short of pace. That’s the area that may well be decisive.
Alex Scott, the England and Arsenal defender, is part of BBC Radio 5 Live’s lineup for Saturday’s women’s FA Cup final. Live on BBC1 and 5 Live, kick-off 3pm
