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With the Conti Cup loss now in the rearview mirror, the Lionesses return to league play on their home turf for an encounter with a surging Southampton side, just two points behind them in the table.
Both teams are coming off of tough losses in the Conti Cup over the weekend, but for each side, one loss should not overshadow the remarkable few months that it has been in the league.
Marieanne Spacey-Cale and the Saints are riding an eight-game unbeaten streak in the Championship heading into their first regular season meeting against London City in club history.
Southampton won promotion last season from the FA Women’s National League by defeating Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 in a play-off, earning the club’s first opportunity to compete in second-tier English football.
The sturdy Saints’ defense has allowed just one goal in the last five league matches, winning three of those games through a 1-0 scoreline.
In the attack, Southampton has not been shut out in the league since the opening day of the season and is led by Katie Wilkinson and Ella Pusey who have netted the last six Championship goals for the Saints.
Southampton is one of three teams to have put at least one goal on the scoreboard in every match but one along with Bristol City and Charlton.
Wilkinson has scored four goals in the last two games herself, finding the back of the net three times in the first half against Coventry United at home.
The Lionesses are sitting on a three-game home win streak in the league, including an exhilarating five-goal match against Birmingham City.
With the FA Cup draw, London City will now have three straight contests at Princes Park before it heads off to Birmingham for the Conti Cup ahead of the break.
Through nine league matches, the Lionesses have shown their versatility, possessing four players with three or more goals in the Championship along with three that have two or more assists.
Over the last five games in all competitions, London City has had four different goal scorers contribute to an eight-goal tally.
The Lionesses will test their attack against a Southampton team that ranks in the top three for fewest goals conceded.
The distance between the top of the table and the middle of it tells the whole story, and with the league schedule only shrinking as time passes, games like these are ones that are going to mean a whole lot at the end of the season.
Head Coach, Melissa Phillips
"Southampton are a team very much in form like ourselves so we are excited for the opportunity that the game will bring.
"They are very well organized behind the ball and efficient in their attacks so we understand fully the challenges that we will face.
"The Brighton match really provided us an opportunity to grow and stretch ourselves so we are better prepared for the league matches ahead."
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