Manchester City v West Ham United women's team
Barclays Women's Super League, Joie Stadium, Sunday 21 April 2024, 2.15pm BST
West Ham United women's team head to Manchester City this weekend in round 19 of Barclays Women's Super League action.
The Irons return to the pitch for the first time since 31 March, with an international break and a weekend without a fixture coming between their last league outing against Brighton & Hove Albion and this trip to the north-west.
Rehanne Skinner's side will be hoping to cause an upset against the high-flying Citizens, who have been in scintillating form in recent months.
Here's everything you need to know ahead of the fixture at Joie Stadium on Sunday...
Tickets...
Tickets for the clash against Manchester City are available to purchase now, priced at £11 for Adults, £9 for Over-65s and Under-21s, and £6 for Under-16s. Click here to purchase yours now!
How To Follow...
The game at Joie Stadium will be broadcast live on the BBC Red Button, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website. Coverage begins at 2pm.
The Opposition...
Manchester City are on a 12-game winning streak in the Barclays Women’s Super League and are battling with Chelsea for the title as the teams head into the remaining four fixtures.
At present, both sides are tied on 46 points, with Chelsea putting themselves back on top after beating Aston Villa 3-0 in midweek. City meanwhile secured a 4-1 victory over Liverpool at Prenton Park in their last outing.
Gareth Taylor’s side have been ruthless since suffering a blip in November, and that has seen the 51-year-old boss rewarded with a new three-year contract in March. Indeed, Taylor survived much criticism last season after City made a poor start to the 2022/23 campaign, but he has his side firing on all cylinders as they look to end their eight-year wait to lift the WSL title again.
Bunny Shaw has yet again been crucial for the Citizens, with the Jamaica international finding the net 19 times in 17 games so far this season, scoring a goal every 71 minutes on average. Lauren Hemp has also weighed in with nine goals this term, while also contributing four assists.
Previous Meetings...
Most supporters will remember the 2-0 victory the Irons secured against Manchester City in October 2022, the first and only time the team have beaten the Citizens.
Goals from Dagný Brynjarsdóttir and Yui Hasegawa secured a fantastic result at the Joie Stadium that day.
Coach's View...
"It won’t be an easy game against City, they’re in really good form at the moment," boss Skinner told reporters at Thursday's pre-match press conference.
"We’re working as hard as we can off the back of the international break, getting everyone back together. We had a friendly last weekend and we wanted to try and make sure that we’ve got everyone back on track with things.
"Ultimately, it’s going to be a real test of concentration and the way that we’re trying to play. We need to make sure we capitalise on the chances when we get them and that we’re really organised defensively because they’re a good team."
