Matildas Abroad Preview: Semi-finals of the Coupe de France féminine & Swedish Women's Cup kick off

The semi-finals of the Coupe de France féminine kick off in France while the two teams featuring our Matildas Abroad battle for a place in the final of the Swedish Women's Cup. The quarter-finals of the Women's FA Cup also begin in England. 

Find out how to catch our Matildas Abroad in action in our preview.

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England

Starting off in Birmingham, Lydia Williams' Brighton & Hove Albion will be looking to bounce back from back-to-back defeats in the WSL and avoid slipping into the relegation zone when they take on Championship side Birmingham City in the quarter-finals of the Women's FA Cup. 

The Seagulls' last outing in the Women's FA Cup saw them book their spot in the final eight with a 5-0 win over Coventry United, with Williams keeping a clean sheet in the win. 

Brighton will have their work cut out for them against a side that is looking to regain promotion into the WSL next season and has already knocked the likes of Everton out of the competition. This game will kick off on Monday morning at 1:00 am AEDT.

Meanwhile, the Women's FA Cup defending champions, Sam Kerr's Chelsea, will face Reading FC for a place in the semi-finals. 

Chelsea's last outing in the competition saw the Blues knock Arsenal out with a 2-0 win, with Kerr finding the back of the net in the victory. While Reading booked their spot in the next round after beating the Spurs 5-4 on penalties. 

Sam Kerr and Guro Reiten of Chelsea react after the Vitality Women's FA Cup Fifth Round match between Chelsea and Arsenal at Kingsmeadow on February 26, 2023 in Kingston upon Thames, England. (Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images)
Sam Kerr and Guro Reiten of Chelsea react after the Vitality Women's FA Cup Fifth Round match between Chelsea and Arsenal at Kingsmeadow on February 26, 2023 in Kingston upon Thames, England. (Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images)

The last meeting between the two sides, late last year, saw Emma Hayes' side record a 3-2 win over the Royals. This game will kick off on Monday morning at 1:00 am AEDT.

Lastly, Emily Gielnik's Aston Villa will host Mary Fowler, Hayley Raso and Alanna Kennedy's Manchester City, with both sides looking to advance to the semi-finals. 

Villa narrowly booked their spot in the quarter-finals after beating West Ham United 7-6 on penalties, while City recorded a dominant 8-1 win over Bristol City to seal their spot in the final eight. 

Manchester City s Mary Fowler during the Vitality Women s FA Cup fifth round match at the Robins High Performance Centre, Bristol. Picture date: Sunday February 26, 2023. EDITORIAL USE ONLY No use with unauthorised audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or live services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxUKxIRL Copyright: xNickxPottsx 71153785
Manchester City's Mary Fowler during the Vitality Women's FA Cup fifth-round match at the Robins High-Performance Centre, Bristol.

City will be looking to avenge their Women's FA Cup final defeat last season, going down 3-2 in extra time to Chelsea. While Aston Villa will be hoping their new additions to the squad can get them across the line. This game will kick off on Monday morning at 5:00 am AEDT.

France

Meanwhile, Ellie Carpenter's Lyon will be aiming to book their spot in the Coupe de France féminine when they host FC Fleury 91.

This will be a replay of the D1 fixture last weekend which saw Lyon defeat Fleury 2-1, with the visitors scoring a late goal to almost claw back an upset. 

Carpenter has picked up right where she left off for Lyon, making her return from an ACL injury earlier in February, and in that time playing two 90 minutes games and being named Player of the Match in her starting return. 

This game will kick off on Saturday morning at 3:30 am AEDT.

Sweden

Our final stop takes us to Sweden, where two sides featuring Matildas Abroad will be looking to book their spot in the Swedish Women's Cup final. 

Aivi Luik's BK Häcken will host Kristianstads DFF for a place in the final, with Häcken looking to rewrite last season's final that saw them go down 2-1 to FC Rosengård.

The Wasps have claimed the title four times, and have been runners-up twice, with the side last lifting the trophy back in the 2020-21 season. This game will kick off on Sunday morning at 12:00 am AEDT.

Häckens Aivi Luik during the football training match between Häcken and Lidköping on March 15, 2023 in Gothenburg,
BK Häcken's Aivi Luik during the football match between Häcken and Lidköping on March 15, 2023, in Gothenburg.

Lastly, Kyra Cooney-Cross' Hammarby host Piteå IF in the other semi-final fixture. 

Hammarby remained undefeated in the group stage and didn't concede one goal in their three fixtures, with a 5-0 victory at home against Eskilstuna United last weekend seeing Hammarby finish first in the group, and thus been given hosting rights for the fixture.

Hammarby's last trip to the final was back in 1995, with the side looking to lift the trophy for just the third time. 

This game will kick off on Sunday night at 11:00 pm AEDT.