Allen Prepared For A Battle In Durham
- LCFC Women take on Durham Women in the FA Women's Championship this Sunday (12pm kick-off)
- Midfielder Remi Allen says City have to be prepared for a hard-fought battle against the Wildcats
- She also praises Durham for their unbeaten record this season and says they have quality
- Fans can follow all of the action via @LCFCWomen social media channels this weekend
The 30-year-old is one of the most experienced players in the Foxes dressing room and believes that it is important not to 'overhype' the fixture, which sees the Championship's top two meet at Maiden Castle.
The former Reading midfielder has plenty of Women's Super League experience, playing for both the Royals and Birmingham City in the top division of women's football and she knows the importance of taking a positive result from the trip to face the North East outfit.
"It's huge, ultimately it's a cup final," Allen told the media in Thursday's pre-match press conference. "We'd like to put some daylight between us and Durham. The game is the biggest game we will play.
"It's two very good sides, first and second, going at each other. Both have different qualities, both bring something different to the game. If we're able to get the three points, that puts us in good stead. There's still work to be done after that, but it really makes a statement.
"If Durham beat us, it's game on for both of us and the teams below us as well, so there's a lot riding on Sunday, but it's something that we're really excited for.
"Based on how Durham play, they are probably the most hard working, strong, collective team in the league, so will have to match that. We have to do the dirty bits really well. They've got a great team from front to back.
"This league is very unpredictable. Durham don't seem to score many goals, but they don't concede many either. We've been a bit more up and down so anything could happen. I would like a boring 1-0, that would be perfect, but we'll see what cards are dealt on the day."
Goals: LCFC Women 2 Durham 2
All the goals from the Foxes' FA Women's Championship draw with Durham.
Both teams come into the game in good form, with Leicester currently on a nine-game winning streak in the league, extended by a 7-0 success at London Bees last weekend. Lee Sanders' Wildcats have also won their last four fixtures and are yet to be beaten in the league campaign.
The pair played out an entertaining 2-2 draw in the reverse fixture at Farley Way Stadium and Allen, who was on the scoresheet that afternoon, is expecting another tight, hard-fought contest this time around.
She added: "On the day, it might come down to a mistake, that might win someone the game. So we have to be quality in terms of what we do in possession, but out of possession, we've got to match them, we've got to be aggressive, we've got to bring our identity as well.
"We've got players who want to graft and work hard and want to tackle and win games. If we bring that, I believe our quality will shine through and we can win it.
"We've got that in abundance in our team, as have Durham. It's lined up to be a really good game and a really good battle. It's something that we're not scared of, we're going into it strong, we're feeling good and we're ready to go at them.
"Overall, I think the balance this week has been really good and everyone knows how big this game is, but also that is it just a game of football and not to overhype it. If we just go out and do our job, then ultimately we can go and win this game.
"There's a lot of buzz and there's a lot of excitement and it's just managing that and letting the performance come out on Sunday."
All times GMT.