London City Lionesses host Liverpool this weekend at the CopperJax Community Stadium. They are looking to return to form after a 4-1 loss last week to Manchester City at the Joie Stadium.
Before that, London City Lionesses were finding their feet, beating Everton at Goodison Park and Crystal Palace at the VBS Community Stadium.
Head Coach Jocelyn Prêcheur is excited to play back in front of a home crowd again, after four away games in our first five games in all competitions: “We need their support, especially now, when we are trying to adapt to, and compete in this league.
Here is our full match preview ahead of Sunday.
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Last time out, London City Lionesses put in a spirited performance but ultimately fell to a 4–1 defeat against Manchester City at the Joie Stadium.
Goals from Vivianne Miedema, Laura Blindkilde, and a brace from Khadija Shaw sealed victory for the hosts, despite Jocelyn Prêcheur’s side showing plenty of fight and creating chances of their own.
Nikita Parris offered a lifeline midway through the first half with a superb finish, and the London City came close to levelling before the break, only for two second-half penalties to swing the tie firmly in Manchester City’s favour.
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Liverpool currently sit 11th in the Women’s Super League, having lost their first three games to Everton, Leicester City and Manchester United.
Despite this, the Reds do have a game in hand in the WSL, and won convincingly in the Subway Women’s League Cup, putting five past Sunderland.
The Reds will be without Lily Woodham, Rachael Laws, Alejandra Bernabe and Zara Shaw, but Marie Höbinger is back in contention, a positive for Gareth Taylor.
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Prêcheur confirmed that Freya Godfrey has been back in training for over a week now, and he hopes that she will be sharp enough to make the squad on Sunday pending some final checks.
Daniëlle van de Donk, Isa Kardinaal, Teyah Goldie, Poppy Pattinson, Corinne Henson and Maddi Wilde will all be sidelined for longer due to injury.
Jocelyn Prêcheur’s Press Conference
“If everything happens well, Freya should be with us on Sunday, but it will be at least 2-3 weeks for anyone else to come back.
“Freya has started to train with the team for almost two weeks, everything is happening well, but we need to take today and tomorrow to get the final green lights on her.
“I am positive and convinced that she can come back against Liverpool on Sunday.”
On Daniëlle van de Donk:
“She arrived this summer with a little pain in her knee, and we tried to manage her but, in the end, to solve this problem, she had to be out for a few weeks. Fortunately, she doesn’t need surgery or anything.
“To be more precise, she has started to run at the moment and she’s in the best hands possible.
“We will let her take the time she needs so she is ready to compete and bring all of her qualities to the team, but we miss her at the moment for sure.”
“Liverpool are a good team. It’ll be a good game against a good team. It’ll be another challenging game for us on Sunday.
“A big name, a big club, it’s very exciting to play this kind of opponent. Another opportunity for us to improve and get better as well.
“We have identified a way that they will want to play, they are managed by a great coach. We need to be ready tactically.
“It’s more about us, how we put ourselves on the pitch. This is my challenge. I know that if we can do this, we will cause Liverpool problems.”
“I think we are improving defensively and offensively.
“We are starting to adapt to this league and get used to the rhythm. We have laid the foundations with the intense games in September, but there are also details to fix.
“The potential is amazing with the players I have, so I expect improvement again on Sunday.”
“We knew it would be tough, being promoted and then adapting to the WSL is a challenge. Then playing the majority of the top four at the start is a greater challenge!
“Maybe it is the best way to learn and adapt fast, because it’s a long-term project and one day we want to compete at this level.
“The Liverpool game is a great chance to evaluate the gap and where we want to be in the future. We will get used to this environment.”
“We know where the club wants to go, there is no doubt about the destination.
“We also know the road is long, as you can’t create a top team in England in two weeks.
“In terms of the credibility of the project, the support of Michele, the support of all the staff and leaders in terms of facilities, to become one of the big clubs in this country, it’s a very good signal and another proof to how this project is ambitious and massive. I’d love to jump a year or two ahead to see it all finished!
“We are all satisfied about this approval, because there are no limits now, and we can become the club Michele wants us to become.”
“They are essential. We want to become a good club, a great club, get bigger and get better. It’s not just for us, it’s something we want to share and give to our fans and make them proud.
“We need their support, especially now, when we are trying to adapt to, and compete in this league. We have them in our minds when we train, run and fight and all of the girls are working hard to make them proud, especially at home.
“They give us more energy and also put pressure on the opposition, they help us to be more confident, and they make the difference in key moments.
“When they are noisy, everyone can see the support they give us. Every fan has a role to play, and in London City, maybe more than somewhere else.”
