Defender Esme Morgan is set to return for Manchester City's Women's Super League clash with Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday afternoon, but manager Gareth Taylor stated that neither Hayley Raso, Demi Stokes nor Alanna Kennedy will be available for selection due to their respective injuries.
City host Tottenham Hotspur with Taylor's side keen to bolster their chances of top-three contention in the Women’s Super League.
The Citizens leapfrogged Arsenal into third place with a three-point cushion before the International break after an intense 2-1 win.
They come into Sunday’s game with momentum after an 8-1 thrashing of Championship side Bristol City at the weekend, abruptly ending the second-tier side's Vitality Women’s FA Cup run at the fifth round. Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw was on fire again, putting four past the Robins, before Filippa Angeldahl, Julie Blakstad and Jemima Dahou also found themselves on the score sheet.
And as an added boost to to his ranks as the season crests into its most exacting stages, Taylor revealed Morgan, who had been ruled out since January's 1-1 draw with Aston Villa due to an Achilles issue, and fellow defender Kerstin Casparij will be in contention for Sunday's match, though injuries and illness elsewhere will keep him from relishing a full squad.
“Pushing on from the FA Cup at Bristol [last weekend], we’ve got Esme [Morgan] back into the frame,” Taylor explained on Friday.
“Demi [Stokes] is a little further down the line. We’ve had a little bit of illness but only with players missing the odd day.
“At this moment in time, Kerstin Casparij is back in contention. I think that’s it, pretty much.
“It’s probably only Alanna [Kennedy] and Hayley [Raso] who are just not quite there at the moment, Hayley with a fracture in her hand while Alanna is getting closer. Apart from that, everyone is in good shape.”
Ninth-place Spurs have struggled to stabilise this season, currently with nine points from 12 games and a minus-nine goal difference. Although Rehanne Skinner brought in top attacking pedigree Beth England into the squad in January, the side have struggled to get a win since, having lost their last seven league games on the bounce.
The only exception was their FA Cup fourth round 5-0 defeat of London City, but Spurs lost out on progressing to the quarterfinals with a 5-4 loss on penalties to Reading at the weekend.
But Taylor refuted suggestions that Sunday's clash represented a simple task for his side, going on to criticise such suggestions as "foolish" as he pointed to the many threats posed by Skinner's ranks, not least new signing in Lioness striker Bethany England.
“There’s been some changes, they’ve been supported with being able to bring Beth England in which is obviously a good signing,” he said.
“If you look at their results, they’re not one million miles off. They were edged out in the FA Cup and were very close to getting something out of the Manchester United game.
“It’d be foolish for us, which we never would, to underestimate them, we have high awareness of where their strengths are and potential areas to exploit.”
It's the seventh meet for the two sides in the WSL, Tottenham claiming victory just once in a 2-1 win back in the 2021/22 season. Lauren Hemp gave the Sky Blues an early lead but Rachel Williams pulled it back even before City’s former goalkeeper Karima Benameur put the ball in her own net with four minutes to go. The Citizens have otherwise dominated their other five clashes with a tally of 15 goals in five wins.
The Academy Stadium will host Manchester City’s clash with Tottenham on Sunday the 5th of March, kicking off at 2 pm, available to watch via the FA Player.
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