Manchester City?

Manchester City have a Champions League quarter-final to worry about before they take on their city rivals, Manchester United. Expect Nick Cushin’s side to come out all guns blazing against the defending champions after their League Cup final defeat to Chelsea last weekend. The Citizens have had a joyful run in the cup so far, scoring eight and conceding one goal in their three fixtures, dispatching Ipswich Town, Aston Villa, and Leicester City.

Cup competitions are the only aspect of the season to smile about in the blue side of Manchester, however, as the club are currently fourth in the Super League and set to miss out on a Women’s Champions League spot. City are enduring a turbulent season, firing long-term head coach Gareth Taylor just over a week ago, with Nick Cushing replacing him until the end of the season. Cushing was manager of Manchester City for seven years up until 2020, so knows the club well and will be looking to get the best out of players such as Khadija Shaw, who has 19 goals in all competitions this season.

The three-time champions have not won the tournament since 2020, but after missing out on the League Cup as well as their WSL title hopes fading, this could be all they have left to prove themselves this campaign.

A Manchester Derby in the #AdobeWomensFACup 🏆

There was fireworks the last time @ManUtdWomen and @ManCityWomen met in the competition, with the latter taking the bragging rights 😯

They'll face off in this year's semi-final 👀 pic.twitter.com/H42tLAc38U
— Adobe Women's FA Cup (@AdobeWFACup) March 11, 2025

Manchester United?

The reigning victors of the competition won it for the first-ever time in 2023/24 and finished runners-up in 2022/23 so therefore are looking to reach the final for a third year straight. Marc Skinner’s side will be seeking revenge after Manchester City knocked them out of the League Cup quarter-finals earlier this year. The Red Devils have been in blistering form FA Cup-wise, storming through their three rounds so far scoring a whopping 16 goals in those fixtures including a 7-0 win over West Bromwich Albion and a 6-0 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

United are yet to face a WSL side in the competition and have had a relatively generous route to the semis and can also boast a higher league position than their nemesis, currently placed third and ahead of City by four points. Ella Toone has scored in every round of the competition so far and also bagged the first goal of the final 10 months ago. Celin Bizet, Rachel Williams and Mared Griffiths can all also boast two or more goals in the three rounds of the competition they’ve played.

If they were to win the FA Cup this year, they would become the seventh team ever to win the tournament back-to-back. Manchester United do not have extra European games to worry about and with so many goals flying in, there's been no evidence that they can’t go the whole way.

Manchester United are your 2023-2024 #AdobeWomensFACup winners 🏆 pic.twitter.com/ruKNCseMIh
— Adobe Women's FA Cup (@AdobeWFACup) May 12, 2024

Chelsea?

Chelsea won the FA Cup three years running between 2021 & 2023, taking their grand total to five, all coming in the last decade. Only three sides including the Blues can say they’ve won the tournament back-to-back-to-back, and the West London side will be hoping to regain their status as the tournament dominants. Chelsea have set the standard for all clubs in England, currently eight points clear at the top of the WSL table, and well on their way to a sixth straight league title!

A favourable home tie against Liverpool awaits after just edging past relegation-threatened Crystal Palace in the quarter-finals. In the two rounds prior to that clash, Sonia Bompastor’s side comfortably overcame Everton and Charlton Athletic scoring four in both fixtures. Maya Ramirez scored two important goals in the competition’s earlier stages and also netted the opener in the League Cup Final last weekend. The Colombian has not been able to hold down the striker spot all season but has shone away from the WSL.

🥳🏆 CHELSEA ARE WOMEN'S LEAGUE CUP WINNERS 🏆🥳

🙌 Sonia Bompastor leads her side to their first silverware of the season 🔵

FT: Chelsea 2-1 Man City#BBCFootball pic.twitter.com/AcLzLsXzIK
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) March 15, 2025

Liverpool?

Liverpool are the outsiders of the four left in the Adobe Women’s FA Cup. The Reds are sixth in the WSL, with less than half of the points their semi-final opponents have accumulated this season and 11 points behind City in fourth. Despite this, Liverpool have arguably had the most impressive run to the final four, beating fellow Super League sides West Ham United 5-0 and Arsenal 1-0. Knocking out the Gunners away from home was an upset, with Arsenal currently second in the league.

They could not have achieved this without interim coach Amber Whiteley’s expertise, who has been around the club for over five years. Her side have won all three games they’ve played under her watch this month and could be set to cause the biggest upset of them all to reach a first FA Cup final since 1996.

The goal that saw us into the @AdobeWFACup semi-finals 🤩 pic.twitter.com/YiZ3vlzqEL
— Liverpool FC Women (@LiverpoolFCW) March 10, 2025

It is easy to assume that the two Champions League sides will advance as the stronger sides on paper, however with no extra European games Liverpool and Manchester United could provide upsets away from home. All four stand a strong chance but Chelsea definitely seem the most likely to win the Adobe Women’s FA Cup as the team with the best league form, the most favourable semi-final tie and a desire to reclaim the trophy for an eighth time in 11 seasons.

Manchester City vs Manchester United will kick off on Saturday 12th April, with Chelsea vs Liverpool being played on Sunday 13th. Both will be televised live on BBC and BBC iPlayer.