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London City Lionesses host Arsenal in the Quarter-Finals of the Continental Tyres League Cup on Wednesday [7 February] and we’re all in.
Carolina Morace’s side advanced to the knockout rounds with wins over Crystal Palace and Lewes, qualifying for the last eight for the first time in our history.
The Gunners, who lifted the trophy last season, also moved on as group winners, overcoming Tottenham Hotspur, Southampton, Bristol City, and Reading.
Princes Park will provide the backdrop for the third meeting between the two sides, with Arsenal winning on each of their previous encounters with the Pride.
Arsenal head coach Jonas Eidevall could call upon as many as four England internationals, with Leah Williamson, Beth Mead, Alessia Russo, and Lotte Wubbon-Moy available for selection.
“I think we have a very competitive squad, so I’m not seeing that we have two line-ups: one for the league and one for the Conti Cup,” Eidevall told reporters on Tuesday.
“We need to have competition in the squad and I think we saw that at the weekend with players coming off the bench and doing very well, so competition needs to be alive in the squad and we will need all our players to step up and step in for the team. I’m going to name the strongest team possible tomorrow and then what that is, it’s for me to decide.”
The Gunners fell to a shock defeat to West Ham at the weekend and are determined to bounce back authoritatively at Princes Park.
“Even if I think we created enough chances to win the game against West Ham, it’s easy to say we need to be more efficient, but I also think there are things in how we are positioned and how we use the whole field in order to make it difficult for the opponent to defend in a low block,” added the Swede.
“It’s something we can definitely improve on and we need to do that, so we learn from every game, win or lose, and there was some crucial learning from the West Ham game that we need to put into action.”
Meanwhile, in the Barclays Women’s Championship, Blackburn Rovers sunk London City on Sunday [4 February], with Lucy Shepherd scoring the game’s only goal.
Whatever happens on the field, history will be at Princes Park, as a capacity crowd pays witness to our Quarter-Final debut.
The FA Player will provide a live broadcast of the action for supporters unable to attend the fixture.