Foxes Prepare For Visit of Citizens
Over the last couple of weeks, narrow defeats to Manchester City and Reading have resulted in Leicester exiting both cup competitions. They are now returning to Filbert Way where they beat Brighton & Hove Albion, to gain their first win of the WSL season, last time out.
Prior to Saturday's early kick-off, take a detailed look at both sides...
The Foxes camp
The Foxes started the year in excellent fashion with back to back wins, including that impressive 3-0 victory against the Seagulls which gave them their first win of the league season.
Since then they have suffered two defeats, most recently knocked out of the Vitality Women's FA Cup by Reading last Sunday. However, they pushed the Berkshire side all the way and have continued their run of impressive performances despite the losses.
Off the field, City have bolstered their squad with the addition of midfielder Ruby Mace on loan, however, being contracted to this weekend's visitors rules the Citizen loanee out of playing.
Talking points
On Thursday afternoon, Kirk previewed the challenge of Man City to the media: “We had a really good performance against Man City in the League Cup, where they scored against us in the last minute. I think that may go against us, as they will not take us lightly, but that just means we must up our performance.
“I think we’re capable of doing that. We were really struggling with numbers at Pirelli Stadium and that will not be the case this weekend, so I think we can put out a stronger team and therefore produce an improved display."
Meanwhile, captain Aileen Whelan is looking to regain that winning momentum: “We’re a lot more positive, and there’s more belief within the team, and we’re ticking off the tasks and are heading in the right direction. Hopefully February is the same and we continue to build.”
The opposition
Man City are sat fourth in the league standings, with 23 points from seven wins and two draws, and are currently two points behind Arsenal in their hunt for a UEFA Women's Champions League qualification spot.
The Citizens are 15 games unbeaten, a run which started with a 4-0 win over the Foxes back in October at Academy Stadium.
More recently, the Manchester side advanced to the fifth round of the FA Cup after putting seven past Sheffield United. Man City's Jamaican top scorer Khadija Shaw scored a hat-trick during the cup tie.
In the dugout
Gareth Taylor resides in the Citizen dugout and is half way through his third season in charge. After playing for Man City, Taylor took up a coaching job with the academy in 2017, before signing a contract as the women's head coach in May 2020.
In his time in charge, the Welsh manager has won the FA Cup, before guiding his team to a fourth Continental Tyres League Cup triumph the following year, after beating Chelsea 3-1 at Plough Lane.
Scoring 13 goals in their last two outings, Taylor's squad arrive to Filbert Way brimming with confidence, as they look to close the gap to Arsenal for one of the golden-plated Champions League spots.
Last time out
This will be the third time that the two sides have met, and the second time in as many weeks after the Foxes were eliminated from Group B of the League Cup in a tight affair that resulted 1-0 in favour of Man City at Pirelli Stadium.
Back in October, Leicester were beaten 4-0 at Academy Stadium, as goals from Lauren Hemp, Yui Hasegawa and a brace from Shaw settled the scoreline.
Ticket and coverage details
All the information on how to follow this weekend's fixture, can be found here.
All times GMT.