London City Lionesses back in action as they prepare to take on Bristol City at Princes Park

This Sunday, the London City Lionesses are back in action, as they get ready to return to Princes Park to take on Bristol City.

For City, confidence will certainly not be in short supply, following an impressive 5-1 win away to Crystal Palace.

Speaking ahead of the game this weekend, manager Melissa Phillips had this to say on the performance.

“With it being a derby game, there was always going to be an added bit of excitement and competition to it, so we're really pleased to have put in such a dominant performance,” said Phillips.

“A lot of different players stepped up and showed their quality and ultimately had to battle through some tough conditions against strong opposition, so we’re really pleased with the way we managed the game and felt it was a really mature performance from the group.”

For Karin Muya, despite the score line, it was a game where she, and the rest of the team, knew that patience was going to be key when it came to breaking them down.

“Initially they were quite hard to break down,” said Muya, “But the more we had the ball and linked passes, the more we were able to draw them out and create spaces for the midfielders to get their shots away.”

Following Palace was the international break, giving the players a chance to refresh and get some rest for the weeks ahead.

“We took some time over the international break to recover, rejuvenate and take care of the bodies and minds, to make sure that we're fresh going into the week ahead,” said Phillips.

“The group is durable and fit for the upcoming tests, and ultimately it will be about us taking things one game at a time as we have done throughout the season.”

Yet such breaks in the season also provide opportunities for players to continue to develop their game off the pitch, with Muya being one such case.

“Since coming to London City I’ve been playing predominantly on the right, and that consistency has been really good for me, and so breaks like this are perfect opportunities for me to keep developing aspects like my crossing variation for example,” said Muya.

It’s business as normal this weekend though for the Lionesses, as they prepare to take on Bristol City back at Princes Park, having meant to have played them just before Christmas, before the game was postponed.

So just what kind of match is Phillips expecting on Sunday?

“We know it’s going to be an extremely competitive test and challenge for us,” said Phillips, “and despite having a little bit of a slow start to their campaign, Bristol have definitely picked up steam, and along the way they've got some really good results.”

“If you look at our results, they're very comparable, so we know it's going to be a challenge for us. They've got a very potent attacking unit, as do we, so I an exciting match.”

For Muya, the tests presented by Bristol are just the kind that the team look forward to, week in week out.

“These are the games that you want to be playing,” said Muya, “they have really good technical players, and have a fast and dynamic attack.

“We're excited, but they’ve been playing some of their best football, so we know that we’re going to have to be at our best come Sunday.”

One thing that certainly is going to help City is being back in front of the fans at Princes Park.

“Throughout the season the fans have really helped us,” said Muya, “and it was great to see them at our game against Palace, so we can’t wait to see them again on Sunday.”

The London City Lionesses take on Bristol City at 2pm on Sunday the 27th of February at Princes Park stadium. Click the link to get your tickets now!