Defender Li Mengwen returns to West Ham United women’s team’s starting XI for the visit of Leicester City in the Barclays Women’s Super League this afternoon.
The summer signing on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion replaces Camila Sáez, who starts on the bench, in the only change made by Manager Rehanne Skinner to the side that narrowly lost 2-1 at Tottenham Hotspur last weekend.
Skinner's side will hope to pick up their first three points of the season against the Foxes, who are struggling with a number of injury issues for their trip to east London.
It means Kinga Szemik remains in between the sticks with Shelina Zadorsky, Amber Tysiak and Anouk Denton accompanying Mengwen in the Hammers’ defence.
For the fourth successive WSL fixture, Captain Katrina Gory and Finland international Oona Siren will protect West Ham’s back four, allowing Viviane Asseyi, Seraina Piubel and Manuela Paví, who is making back-to-back starts for the first time this season, license to cause Leicester danger in an interchangeable attack.
And looking to record her third WSL goal of the campaign after her superb header in north London last weekend, Riko Ueki leads the line.
Skinner has nine options on her substitutes' bench and can make a maximum of five changes. Megan Walsh is the goalkeeping option on the bench alongside defenders Kirsty Smith, Sáez and Shannon Cooke.
Marika Bergman Lundin, Dagný Brynjarsdóttir, Halle Houssein, Soraya Walsh and Emma Harries are the other names on the Hammers’ bench.
Watch the match live on the WSL YouTube channel, with coverage beginning five minutes before the scheduled 3pm (GMT) kick off!
West Ham United: Szemik, Denton, Mengwen, Tysiak, Zadorsky, Siren, Gorry ©, Piubel, Paví, Ueki, Asseyi
Subs: M. Walsh (GK), Sáez, Cooke, Smith, Bergman Lundin, Brynjarsdóttir, Houssein, S. Walsh, Harries
Leicester City: Leitzig, Nevin, Howard, Cayman ©, Ale, Goodwin, Cain, Kees, Chossenotte, Mokimi, Mace
Subs: Dowsett (GK) Bott, Takarada, Rose, Thibaud, Pelgander, Swaby, Sherwood, Groves
Referee: Elizabeth Simms
