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Following a successful road trip to Sheffield, London City are back in the confines of Princes Park in the Conti Cup to take on Women’s Super League side, Brighton and Hove Albion.
As the Lionesses continue their momentum towards their ultimate goal in the Women’s Championship, London City now has to move its attention back to a competitive cup competition.
In the previous contest this season for the Lionesses against a WSL team, London City drew West Ham United at Princes Park 2-2 after 90 minutes before losing in a nail-biting fashion on penalties.
In the only meeting between these two sides back in 2021, the Lionesses were able to come out on top by a one-goal margin through a goal by Karin Muya within the first six minutes of the second half.
Despite being in the bottom half of the WSL table, Brighton is top-five in the English top-flight in expected goals this season at 9.4 through just seven games.
The Seagulls have a better shot-on-target percentage than both Arsenal and Manchester City in the WSL so far this season, netting eight goals in the last two league fixtures.
Amy Merricks’ side has had the task of working through obstacles all season, and since the exit of Hope Powell, Brighton has accumulated four points in the two games, including a 5-4 triumph on the road against a relatively in-form West Ham United side.
Behind former Arsenal attacker Danielle Carter, the Seagulls are seeking to overcome their Conti Cup opening match loss to Birmingham City.
Carter leads Brighton in goals with four goals in all competitions, including a penalty in the final minute of the opening Conti Cup fixture.
London City tops the charts in the Women’s Championship in goals with 19 while possessing a stable defense, collecting a clean sheet in six out of the last eight contests.
A balanced Lionesses attack now has four different players with three or more goals in the league this season, proving the versatility of London City on any given day.
Both these teams are seeking to elevate themselves toward the top of Group C with the Lionesses aiming to remain unbeaten through 10 matches in all competitions.
Brighton may have not begun the season in the most ideal of ways, but as a side with this much WSL experience and talent at every level on the pitch, they have the ability to build on the successes of the last two matches.
Lucy Fitzgerald
Fitzgerald expressed what it was like playing in front of a historic amount of fans at Bramall Lane, and capturing the win, stating:
"Before the game, I was really excited to play in front of that many people, I've never played in front of that many people before, but during the game, you just focus on the game.
"When the final whistle goes and you realize you won it begins to sink in that we've earned the right result in front of that many people. "
Speaking on what life has been like this season, Fitzgerald stated:
"I have really enjoyed my football, and as a squad, we are consistently so competitive in training. We always push each other to be better, and that is something that has helped me a lot this season."
Explaining the mentality going into the Brighton match this upcoming weekend, Fitzgerald stated:
"We want to go into every game with the same confidence and belief that we're going to win.
"In the Cup games, we want to compete against everyone we play, and each week I just try and have the same mentality, the same focus, and just try and go into the match with belief and confidence."
Head Coach, Melissa Phillips
"We are excited about the way that WSL matches stretch on both sides of the ball and what we will learn about ourselves.
"We know Brighton's recent threats from wide areas and in transition will be something that will have to manage both tactically and physically.
"But we are equally excited about how dynamic we have been with different types of goals and the threat that makes us going forward. For us, the cup matches are vital to maintaining our performances and preparing us for our next test in the league."
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