Manager Rehanne Skinner has made four changes to her West Ham United women’s team for their Barclays Women’s Super League fixture against Manchester City on Wednesday.
The Hammers entertain the league’s fourth-placed side at Chigwell Construction Stadium following a performance full of positives against high-flying Arsenal on Sunday, and they will look to maintain their terrific home form that has seen only the Gunners and Chelsea come away from Dagenham with three points in the WSL.
Top-scorer Viviane Asseyi picked up her fifth booking of the season at Meadow Park and will therefore serve her one-match ban on Wednesday evening. Striker Riko Ueki takes her place up front following her 16 minutes off the bench on Sunday after she had not long returned from international duty with Japan.
Captain Katrina Gorry was another player in SheBelieves Cup action and she also returns to the starting XI for the visit of Gareth Taylor’s side, in place of Dagný Brynjarsdóttir, who also enjoyed a momentous international break.
There are also changes in Skinner’s defence for the clash against City as Shelina Zadorsky comes in for Camila Sáez while Kirsty Smith makes way for Anouk Denton.
So, Kinga Szemik, who made an impressive nine saves against Arsenal, maintains her record of starting 100 per cent of the Hammers’ league fixtures and she is likely to be backed by a defensive line consisting of Denton, Zadorsky, Eva Nyström, Amber Tysiak - who bagged a first-half brace on Sunday - and Verena Hanshaw.
Gorry will partner Oona Siren to anchor the midfield for the 12th time in the WSL this term, with the duo looking to help protect the defence but also ignite attacks for Seraina Piubel, Shekiera Martinez and Ueki in the forward line.
Skinner has nine substitutes at her disposal at Chigwell Construction Stadium: goalkeeper Megan Walsh, defenders Li Mengwen, Sáez and Smith, midfielders Brynjarsdóttir and Marika Bergman Lundin and attackers Emma Harries, Manuela Paví and Princess Ademiluyi.
West Ham United: Szemik, Denton, Nyström, Tysiak, Zadorsky, Hanshaw, Gorry ©, Siren, Martinez, Piubel, Ueki
Subs: M.Walsh (GK), Smith, Mengwen, Sáez, Bergman Lundin, Brynjarsdóttir, Paví, Harries, Ademiluyi
Manchester City: Yamashita, Aleixandri ©, Fowler, Roord, Wienroither, Kerolin, Park, Casparij, Hasegawa, Prior, Murphy
Subs: Annets (GK), Keating (GK), Layzell, Miedema, Coombs, Ouahabi, Shaw, Oyama, Davies
Referee: Grace Lowe
