The start of Gameweek 17 is fast approaching, and its opening match may well be its biggest. For the third time in WSL history, Manchester City women will be heading to the Etihad stadium to face their long-standing rivals Manchester United in a showdown which will give the Red Devils the chance to reclaim local bragging rights after their defeat in the reverse fixture at the end of the last year.
But given the teams’ current forms, there’s justifiable doubt in United’s ability to take home the win. Manchester United has failed to take home three points from their last three away games in the WSL, while City have lost just one of their last 27 home games in the league, winning five in a row since their defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion in November. And that’s not forgetting that United has just 28 points in the league so far, compared to City’s impressive 40, which puts them level with Chelsea.
If they want to stay firmly within the title race, City will need to claim all three points here. But Derbies are famously unpredictable, and with Lisa Naalsund putting in a stellar performance for the Reds last week against Bristol City, who knows whether she and Nikita Parris could push their team over the edge this week?
Who is going to play in Manchester City vs Manchester United?
Manchester City team news
It’s looking like we’ll see a similar Manchester City side to the one we saw take on Brighton & Hove Albion last week. Jill Roord is still out of action due to her ACL injury, but in the pre-match press conference, City manager Gareth Taylor said there weren’t any notable squad updates from last time round.
With that in mind, we’ll likely see Bunny Shaw leading the line once again for the Sky Blues alongside Lauren Hemp. Chloe Kelly may have slipped out of the starting line-up last weekend – eventually coming on at 79 minutes – but her past performances in big moments will make her a likely candidate to take the right-wing spot from Mary Fowler this time round (anyone remember that iconic Instagram post after last year’s derby?)
Taylor has been pretty set in his ways this season, so elsewhere we’ll likely see a very familiar line-up – especially in defence. And who can blame him? Manchester City have conceded just 10 goals in 16 Women’s Super League matches this season, at least four fewer than any other side.
Manchester United team news
Manchester United will be without winger Leah Galton when they take to the pitch this Saturday, with the number 11 having been ruled out of this week’s clash after missing the last two matches due to a thigh strain.
Long-term injuries will also keep Emma Watson, Gabby George, Hinata Miyazawa and Jess Simpson from the pitch this week, although Manchester United has confirmed that Simpson could return to training on grass “in the coming weeks”.
Ready to take on Man City 👊 #MUWomen
Mary Earps and Ella Toone will almost certainly feature; the pair are the only players to feature in all eight WSL Manchester derbies and will be looking to add a ninth to their tally this weekend.
Who were the top scorers last time?
Despite Manchester City taking home the win last time around, both teams managed to put a ball in the back of the net, robbing each other of those precious clean sheet points. In fact, City’s Laia Alexandri scored minus points after picking up two yellow cards and being sent off with a red in the 72nd minute.
It was Katie Zelem, Bunny Shaw, Lauren Hemp and Jill Roord who took home points for scoring goals, while Chloe Kelly and Shaw also took home valuable assist points, but overall, the match itself was pretty low-scoring for everyone involved. In fact, only five players scored above two points: Shaw, Roord, Zelem, Hemp and Kelly.
So, while placing your bets on Manchester City might seem like the safest move based on their standout form this season, there could be just as many points to win if you opt for a Manchester United-weighted approach. It's all to play for, and we can't wait.
Image: Getty
