Wednesday evening sees the second round of the Continental League Cup fixtures and Manchester City are at home to Blackburn Rovers. City enter the competition as champions for a fourth time, having beaten Chelsea 3-1 in last season’s final at Kingsmeadow.
But, it is the first time these two teams will face each other in a competitive fixture. Blackburn Rovers are currently 10th in the Championship, a step below the Women's Super League, and head into the game as winners of a 3-2 tie against Coventry United.
In the cup standings, Blackburn sit bottom on goal difference, having lost their first round 3-0 against Leicester at home. Rovers sit below Sunderland who only lost one-nil to Liverpool.
However, Manchester City head into their first cup game with back-to-back wins in the league, 4-0 against Leicester and more recently 3-0 win over Tottenham on Saturday.
Khadija “Bunny” Shaw is currently the top WSL scorer, with five goals under her belt - one from the season-opening loss against Aston Villa, two from Leicester and another two goals against Spurs.
Her confidence is soaring this year and she told Sky Sports after scoring against Tottenham: “I just believe in myself more and I trust my teammates, so I think that's the biggest difference [this season].”
Manager Gareth Taylor added: “Our team will look quite different to last year, but it’s a good opportunity for us.
“The confidence of being successful in this competition over a number of years is nice to have, but we have to go out and earn it. We have to do the hard work in the group stages and then look for a nice bit of fortune and good play in the knockout stages.”
The match is available to watch on the FA Player, kick-off is at 7:30pm at the Academy Stadium.
