Opposition watch | Manchester City (WFA Cup)

It’s our third meeting against Manchester City in the last six weeks, previously facing them in the Barclays Women’s Super League and the FA Women Continental Tyres League Cup, as we welcome Gareth Taylor's side to Brisbane Road on Sunday afternoon (3pm kick-off).

Here’s a closer look at City…

Form

City have continued to be in excellent form since we last faced them in the quarter-final of the Conti Cup last month, where we fell to a narrow 1-0 defeat, as following that game, Gareth Taylor’s side booked their place in the last eight of the FA Cup after a 1-0 win over Arsenal at Meadow Park, Laia Aleixandri netting the only goal of the game. They then extended their winning run to 12 games in all competitions, with an impressive victory over Chelsea last month to go level on points with the Blues – only goal difference separating the two sides - in the table before overcoming Everton last weekend. However, that impressive unbeaten streak came to an end on Thursday (7 March) as they were beaten 1-0 by Emma Hayes' side in the semi-final of the Conti Cup.

Players to watch

Khadija Shaw remains in sensational form in front of goal at the minute. The Jamaican international is the leading goalscorer in the league, netting 15 goals in 14 appearances so far, including scoring the winner in the 1-0 win over Chelsea and found the back of the net against Everton last weekend. Lauren Hemp was also on the scoresheet in the previous WSL game, taking her tally to seven goals in all competitions this season while impressing on international duty in February as she scored twice in the 5-1 victory over Italy. Laia Aleixandri has become a key part of the backline that has only conceded nine goals in the WSL this season. A versatile defender, that can only play centre-half or at right-back, that looks to initiate play from the back. Laura Blindkilde Brown made the switch to City in the January transfer window, joining from Aston Villa, and the 20-year-old is a highly regarded young talent, who has represented England at Under-23s level. Another rising star that has made a name for herself this season is Jess Park as she played a key role in the fixture against Chelsea and was awarded the Player of the Match last weekend.

Manager – Gareth Taylor

After having an extensive career as a player, making over 650 club appearances in spells with Sheffield United, City and Nottingham Forest to name a few. In the summer of 2017, Taylor was appointed as City’s academy before leading the under-16s and under-18s, where he guided the team to successive Premier League Cup U18 victories in 2019 and 2020. In May, 2020, Taylor was announced as the new Head Coach of the Women’s first team and secured his first trophy in November, 2020, to win the FA Cup after a 3-1 win over Everton in extra-time. In the following season, he would make it two trophies in two seasons, beating Chelsea 3-1 to win the FA Women’s Continental Tyres League Cup. Following an impressive campaign so far, Taylor signed a three-year contract extension earlier this week.

Last time we met

We don’t have to look far back at our previous meeting with City as they visited Brisbane Road last month in the quarter-final of the Conti Cup. Yui Hasegawa’s stunning strike from distance was the only goal of the game to see Taylor’s side progress to the last four of the competition, but we struggled to create chances on the night.

How to follow

Sunday's match will be screened live via the FA Player. You can follow the game on our women's social channels - Instagram and X - and minute-by-minute text coverage via our Match Centre here on tottenhamhotspur.com. Match highlights and reaction will also be available via SPURSPLAY and tottenhamhotspur.com.