Match Preview: LCFC Women vs. Sheffield United Women
- LCFC Women's FA Women's Championship campaign resumes at home to Sheffield United on Sunday (2pm kick-off)
- The fixture will be played behind closed doors at Farley Way Stadium
- City are currently top of the standings after 11 games, while Sheffield United are fourth
- Keep up to date with all of Sunday's action on social media and LCFC.com
LCFC.com takes a look at how the two sides match up ahead of an intriguing clash in Quorn. Here's all you need to know about Sunday's intriguing encounter...
The Foxes camp
After a promising first half of 2020/21, Leicester will be aiming to remain at the Championship summit following the Blades' visit to Farley Way Stadium.
The Foxes hold a one-point lead over second-place Durham 11 games into the season, with the pair set to meet for a second time in early February.
City's 3-2 victory over Blackburn Rovers on 20 December, secured thanks to Natasha Flint's brace, kept them on top at Christmas and made it five league wins in a row.
Ones to watch
The Championship's top scorer and Player of the Season in 2019/20, forward Katie Wilkinson has continued to find the net on a regular basis this campaign, scoring nine league goals in 11 matches alongside new strike partner Melissa Johnson, who has five to her name since a summer move from Aston Villa.
Jade Pennock is a potent winger who has chipped in with crucial strikes across the last couple of seasons. Making her 60th Blades appearance in the final fixture of 2020, she is the longest-serving current player at the club and has four goals in all competitions this term.
Signed in the summer of 2020, goalkeeper Fran Kitching is a safe pair of hands, having previously played for Chelsea, Liverpool and on loan at Watford. Born in Yorkshire, the 22-year-old started her career at the Blades, moving through the youth set-up and has kept six clean sheets in 11 league games since her return to the club.
Talking points
LCFC Women defender Sam Tierney commented: "They’re a great side, they have come close in the past few years. They’ve got some really good quality players in there, but also, when you sit at the top of the league, every team is going to want to beat you.
"That’s the mentality we go in with now. I think we were disappointed with the result last time we played them, but I’d like to say we’re a very different team now and hopefully, we know what we need to do and we can go and do it.”
Manager Jonathan Morgan, meanwhile, said: "Sheffield United are managed by a good manager and they work hard. They're going to be very difficult and, in all honestly, a game against Sheffield United can go either way.
"The reality is that they are very dangerous and they have a lot of good players, so we can't take them lightly."
Opposition form guide
The Blades ended the year with back-to-back stalemates, drawing a blank against London City Lionesses a week after a thrilling 3-3 draw with Blackburn.
United were 2-0 down at Technique Stadium before Katie Wilkinson converted two first-half penalties either side of the visitors' third goal. Substitute Courtney Sweetman-Kirk then scored an 81st minute leveller to rescue a point for Neil Redfearn's side.
The Yorkshire club's last league victory also came courtesy of a Wilkinson penalty, beating Charlton Athletic 1-0 despite playing the majority of the match with 10 players after Leandra Little's sending off.
Currently fourth in the standings, United will want to claim three points in order to move closer to the top three ahead of tackling Coventry United at home on Sunday 17 January (2pm kick-off).
Last time out
The Foxes' first away fixture of the season saw them travel to face United, who had also won by a three-goal margin on matchday one, at Technique Stadium in Chesterfield.
Millie Farrow got Leicester off to the perfect start before a brace from Melissa Johnson looked to have sealed victory for the home side. However, Natasha Flint converted a 90th-minute penalty to score her third goal in two games and snatch a point on the road.
How to follow
Supporters can stay up to speed with the behind-closed-doors fixture by following LCFC Women on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram - where you can access live updates, pre-match content and plenty of reaction from the Foxes camp after full-time, including interviews and match highlights on LCFC TV.
All times GMT.