Manager Olli Harder says that West Ham United Women will have to be disciplined when they face off against Manchester City on Saturday morning.
Looking to bounce back from a 2-0 defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend, Harder knows that this contest will be a different type of match-up to the clash with the Seagulls.
"We know that Manchester City will look to control the play," Harder told whufc.com. "We have to be disciplined in our approach and look to maximise our opportunities when they arrive.
"We’ve already proven this season that we can get a result against them, when we went to the Academy Stadium and won 2-0.
"I know that, if we play in a similar vein to how we did on that memorable afternoon, then we have a very good chance of getting a positive result again."
The New Zealander did recognise, however, that Manchester City have improved dramatically since their poor run of form at the start of the season.
City boss Gareth Taylor has been able to turn the fortunes of the team around, having won all five of their matches in March, including the Continental Tyres League Cup final: a 3-1 win over Chelsea.
Such results are a far cry from the opening run of games, which saw them crash out of the UEFA Champions League early on and pick up just four points from their opening five matches.
Harder remains full of admiration for his opposite number. but knows that his team can get the points against City if they apply themselves in the right manner.
"It's going to be a really tough game," the manager recognised.
"Full credit to Gareth, his coaching staff and the set-up they have up there - they have a fantastic team that's full of talent on the pitch and off the bench.
"We went up there and did a job on them in October, but we also know that to repeat that is a tough, tough ask. But we said to the girls, mountains are there to be climbed, so we need to go and do that."
Saturday's game represents the first of two consecutive matches against the Citizens, with an exciting Vitality Women's FA Cup semi-final to look forward to a fortnight later.
This league contest will therefore provide Harder and his coaching team the opportunity to see what they're up against first-hand, but he admits that this game is more important than just a look-ahead to the FA Cup contest.
He concluded: "We don't want to go rogue on Saturday.
"The points are important for us, so we're not looking at this game as just something we can learn from - it's a competitive match, which means points are at stake and we want to finish as high as we can.
"It's one game at a time for us. The aim would be to win both of those games, which would be three in total across the season. It's a tough ask, but that's the aim."
West Ham United Women take on Manchester City at the Chigwell Construction Stadium on Saturday 2 April 2022, with kick-off scheduled for 11.30am.
You can watch the Hammers in action against Manchester City, with tickets available to purchase online.
Alternatively, the game is being broadcast live on Sky Sports Premier League from 11am BST on Saturday morning.
We will also be bringing you live Twitter updates, as well as exclusive reaction to follow after the full-time whistle right here on whufc.com.
