Fresh from sealing a place in the Women's Champions League group stage, Manchester City Women will welcome Brighton & Hove Albion Women for Sunday's Women's Super League contest.
Man City kicked off their WSL campaign with a draw against Arsenal, while the Seagulls produced a dominant display to claim maximum points in their meeting with Everton.
Match preview
Man City have already played three competitive matches in the opening stages of the 2024-25 campaign, facing Paris FC in a two-legged tie which took place on either side of their WSL opener.
Gareth Taylor's side recorded a commanding 5-0 win in their away leg in France, before they played out a 2-2 draw with Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
They turned their focus back to European matters in midweek as a Chloe Kelly effort and a Khadija Shaw brace guided Man City to a 3-0 victory in their home leg against Paris FC.
As a result of their 8-0 aggregate success, Man City are now looking forward to competing in the main draw of the Women's Champions League for the first time since 2020-21.
They will now turn their attention to their first home league game of the season, and they will be favourites to claim maximum points after winning six of their last seven head-to-head meetings, including a 4-1 away win in their most recent encounter in March.
Former Melbourne City Women boss Dario Vidosic made an impressive start to his life as a WSL manager as he watched his side clinch a comprehensive 4-0 home win over Everton.
Summer signing Kiko Seike played a starring role in the commanding display, scoring three of the four goals to become the first player in WSL history to net a hat-trick on debut.
There was also a debut goal for former Chelsea star Fran Kirby, who helped Brighton end a five-game winless run in the top flight.
The Seagulls know that they will face a tougher test this weekend, but they can draw inspiration from the fact that they clinched all three points on their most recent visit to the Joie Stadium in November 2023.
On that occasion, Lee Geum-min scored an 81st-minute winner to guide the South-coast side to their first-ever WSL victory over Man City.
Team News
Man City are unable to call upon goalkeeper Sandy MacIver and defender Risa Shimizu, who are both sidelined with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries.
Leila Ouahabi sat out the second leg against Paris FC due to an injury that she sustained against Arsenal, and the left-back will have to be assessed ahead of Sunday's fixture.
In positive news, Jill Roord could make her long-awaited return to the matchday squad after making good progress in her rehabilitation from an ACL injury.
As for the visitors, Vidosic could be tempted to stick with the same lineup that started the opening-day victory over Everton.
Seike will be looking to build upon her unforgettable debut, with the forward set to operate in a front three alongside Bruna Vilamala and Pauline Bremer.
Summer additions Nikita Parris and Jelena Cankovic could be given more minutes off the bench after they featured in the final 20 minutes last weekend.
Manchester City Women possible starting lineup:
Yamashita; Casparij, Kennedy, Greenwood, Aleixandri; Park, Hasegawa, Miedema; Fujino, Hemp, Shaw
Brighton & Hove Albion Women possible starting lineup:
Baggaley; Thorisdottir, Bergsvand, Carabali; Losada, Olislagers, Kirby, Pattinson; Seike, Vilamala, Bremer
We say: Manchester City Women 2-1 Brighton & Hove Albion Women
Brighton showcased their quality in their WSL opener, and they will feel that they have the capability to trouble Man City on Sunday.
While we think that the Seagulls will run their hosts close, we believe that Taylor's side will have the extra quality required to clinch a narrow victory.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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