Leicester City v West Ham United women’s team
Perth International Football Cup third-place play-off, HBF Park, Sunday 1 September 2024, 2.05pm AWST
West Ham United women’s team are set to wrap up their Perth International Football Cup campaign with an enticing clash against fellow Barclays WSL side Leicester City in the tournament’s third-place play-off.
A spirited display against French heavyweights Paris Saint-Germain on Thursday evening ultimately ended in a narrow 1-0 defeat, with Romée Leuchter’s first-half strike proving the difference between the teams.
In the opening match of the competition a day earlier, Leicester were defeated by Manchester City on penalties, after their hard-fought encounter finished goalless after 90 minutes.
While preparations for the 2024/25 season continue, manager Rehanne Skinner will be hoping for a positive result against the Foxes, ahead of the team’s departure from Western Australia on Monday.
As with the first game, the fixture will go straight to a penalty shootout if the scores are level after 90 minutes, in order to determine a winner.
Tickets…
Tickets for Sunday’s Perth International Football Cup double header, which includes West Ham’s Leicester clash, and the tournament final between Manchester City and PSG, are on General Sale now HERE, with prices starting at $49.
A specific ‘West Ham Active Fans’ area has been designated behind one of the goals, where tickets are priced at $79.
For accessibility information, click HERE.
Travel…
If you are attending Sunday’s game in Perth, you have likely booked your flight to the city’s international airport.
Once in the Western Australian capital, you can access HBF Park using a number of public transport services. You can find your best route via bus, train or ferry on the Transperth website HERE.
If you are driving, parking around HBF Park is very limited, with most areas restricted to residents only. Further information can be viewed on the City of Vincent website HERE regarding car parks within walking distance of the venue.
How To Follow…
A live stream of West Ham’s match against Leicester City will be available free-of-charge on the Club’s YouTube channel.
It will also be broadcast live in Australia on Optus Sport, with coverage starting at 2pm AWST. Click HERE for more information.
Alternatively, you can follow the action via our live blog on whufc.com and our app, and across our social media channels. We will also have highlights and exclusive reaction for you after the final whistle on our website and social media.
Team News…
Midfielder Katrina Gorry picked up a knock in the closing stages of Thursday’s PSG match, and after being substituted with little under ten minutes left, will now be assessed before tomorrow’s Leicester fixture.
At the full-time whistle on Thursday, boss Rehanne Skinner said: “She’s getting treatment now. She’s got a knock, so we’ll just have to assess that in the coming days.”
Elsewhere, summer signings Kinga Szemik, Camila Sáez and Shelina Zadorsky will all be hoping to earn further gametime, having started the first clash, and Dagný Brynjarsdóttir - who made her first appearance in front of fans since the end of 2022/23 - will be looking for more minutes.
Opposition…
Despite some unfortunate results and abrupt managerial changes, the Foxes will look back on 2023/24 as a campaign of great progress, and they will be hoping to kick on in the new season.
The club finished in tenth place in the Barclays Women’s Super League last term, one place and three points above West Ham, with four wins to their name from 22 outings.
Back-to-back wins in their opening two WSL games against Bristol City and Everton handed them a perfect start to the season, while draws with Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur saw them continue that impressive spell.
After registering a penalty shootout win over eventual WSL runners-up Manchester City in the Continental Tyres League Cup in November, Leicester went on to complete Women’s Super League doubles over Bristol City and Everton in the New Year.
They were knocked out of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup by Tottenham Hotspur at the semi-final stage in April, and suffered a disappointing end to the season in the league, finishing winless since 18 February.
Following the sacking of Willie Kirk after almost two years in charge in late March, assistant Jennifer Foster and first-team coach Stephen Kirby stepped in as interims for the remainder of the season, before new boss Amandine Miquel was appointed in mid-July.
The 40-year-old signed a three-year deal in the east Midlands after seven seasons with Reims in her native France, where she won promotion to the top tier in 2019 and led the club to three Coupe de France quarter-finals.
Previous Meetings…
West Ham are well acquainted with Leicester, having competed against them in the English top-flight in each of the last three seasons since the Foxes were promoted at the end of 2020/21.
The Hammers edge the head-to-head record across those three campaigns, with three wins to one, including the league double in 2022/23.
Last term, both WSL meetings ended in 1-1 draws, with a dramatic Honoka Hayashi leveller at the end of injury-time rescuing a point for Skinner’s charges at the King Power Stadium in December 2023.
Then, back at Chigwell Construction Stadium in the penultimate match of 2023/24, Riko Ueki’s early strike helped earn a share of the spoils, with Sophie Howard equalising for Leicester.
