Manchester City Women will welcome Liverpool Women to the Joie Stadium for Sunday's Women's Super League encounter.
The hosts are sitting in fourth place in the WSL table with 25 points to their name, while the Reds are 10 points further back in seventh position.
Match preview
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Man City are currently two points adrift of third-placed Arsenal after they fell to a narrow 4-3 defeat in their most recent WSL outing against the Gunners earlier this month.
The Citizens wasted little time in avenging that disappointing loss, going on to beat the Gunners 2-1 in the Women's League Cup semi-finals to seal their place in the final alongside Chelsea.
Gareth Taylor's side enjoyed more cup success in last Sunday's Women's FA Cup clash against Leicester City, with Leila Ouahabi, Kerolin and Bunny Shaw all finding the net in a 3-1 victory to set up a quarter-final meeting with Aston Villa.
After claiming back-to-back victories, Man City will now turn their focus to Sunday's tricky league fixture against Liverpool, with the hosts looking to get their WSL campaign back on track after losing three of their last four matches in the top flight.
They will be hoping to produce a strong defensive display after shipping 12 goals across their previous four WSL encounters, representing a significant contrast to the six goals they conceded across their first nine league matches this season.
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Liverpool will be pleased with how they have fared so far in 2025, having won four of their five competitive matches in the current calendar year.
After beating Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1, the Reds came out the wrong side of the same scoreline in their away meeting with Leicester City, before they recorded back-to-back wins over West Ham United in the Women's FA Cup and WSL.
Matt Beard's side were then made to work for the win in last Sunday's FA Cup clash against third-tier Rugby Borough, with Marie Hobinger breaking the deadlock in the 84th minute, before Mia Enderby found the net to seal a 2-0 away victory, setting up a quarter-final tie against Arsenal next month.
Liverpool will now be fully focused on their final outing before the international break, with the visitors looking to end a run of three consecutive away defeats in the top flight.
However, that may be easier said than done given the fact they have lost each of their last four competitive meetings with Man City since picking up a 2-1 home win in May 2023.
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Team News
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Man City are unable to call upon Alex Greenwood, Lauren Hemp and Risa Shimizu due to knee injuries, while Laura Coombs is unlikely to feature after missing the last four competitive matches.
Shaw is in contention to start Sunday's league fixture after featuring as a half-time substitute against Leicester last weekend.
Vivianne Miedema was left on the bench for the Women's FA Cup tie, but after being rested against the Foxes, she could return to the lineup for the home meeting with Liverpool.
As for the visitors, they are likely to be without the services of Niamh Fahey, Jasmine Matthews, Hannah Silcock and Sofie Lundgaard.
Forward Olivia Smith will serve a one-match ban after picking up her fifth yellow card of the WSL season against West Ham earlier this month.
With Smith suspended, Sophie Roman Haug could lead the Liverpool line alongside Leanne Kiernan, although Enderby is also pushing for a starting spot after finding the net in the Women's FA Cup win over Rugby Borough.
Manchester City Women possible starting lineup:
Yamashita; Casparij, Aleixandri, Knaak, Ouahabi; Roord, Hasegawa, Miedema; Fujino, Fowler, Shaw
Liverpool Women possible starting lineup:
Micah; Fisk, Clark, Evans; Parry, Hobinger, Kerr, Holland, Hinds; Kiernan, Haug
We say: Manchester City Women 2-1 Liverpool Women
Liverpool have enough quality in their squad to make it a difficult outing for Man City, but while we believe the contest will be a close-fought affair, we believe Man City will draw upon home advantage to claim a narrow victory over the Reds.
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