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Southampton .vs. London City Lionesses (Barclays Women’s Championship)
St. Mary's Stadium on Sunday 16 April at 14:00, broadcast live on the FA Player
London City Lionesses will only focus on factors within their control in the final weeks of the season, said interim head coach Nikita Runnacles in her weekly press conference.
“We’ve always said that other teams’ results are completely out of our control and there’s nothing we can do to impact them,” she told reporters on Thursday [13 April]. “Our job is to make sure we stay in a professional mindset and put as many points on the board as we can because we aren’t naïve enough to think that we’re not being chased from behind as well.
“It’s really important that we stick to what we’re here to do, which is applying pressure on the team in front of us while making sure that we aren’t caught from behind.”
The Lionesses travel to Southampton on Sunday [16 April], with three vital points available in the Barclays Women’s Championship. After results broke in their favour before the international break, London City are back within three points of Bristol City at the top of the table.
In the antepenultimate week of the season, the Lionesses know the importance of finding a route to victory on the South Coast in a hotly-contested promotion fight.
“Southampton are playing fantastic football,” said Runnacles, “they’re athletic enough to get around the pitch and cause problems with runs in behind. They’ve played a little bit more direct recently and have created a lot of chances against strong opponents but have been a little bit unlucky at times.
“Like when we played at Princes Park, we expect a really close game against a very organised team. They’re probably a little bit unlucky to have not picked up more points recently.”
London City are in positive spirits after the international break and will take confidence from their 1-0 win over Charlton Athletic to start the month.
Atlanta Primus was on fire versus the Addicks, netting the game-winning goal with a shot from the edge of the penalty area. Shanade Hopcroft also enjoyed an afternoon to remember, securing the SETL Player of the Match Award for an all-action performance in midfield.
With that in mind, you won't want to miss the game, which is being broadcast live on the FA Player.
Form Guide:
London City Lionesses | Record: 12-3-4 | Position: 2nd
London City 1-0 Charlton Athletic
Durham 3-0 London City
London City 2-0 Bristol City
London City 3-1 Lewes F.C.
London City 1-2 Sheffield United
Southampton | Record: 7-6-6 | Position: 6th
Birmingham City 2-1 Southampton
Southampton 0-1 Bristol City
Southampton 0-1 Durham
Southampton 0-0 Blackburn
Charlton 1-0 Southampton
Statistical Leaders:
London City Lionesses
Goals: Sarah Ewens (ten)
Assists: Shanade Hopcroft (eight)
Southampton
Katie Wilkinson (five)
Beth Lumsden & Ella Morris (three)
London City Injuries/Suspensions:
Charlotte Fleming (lower-body)
Lily Agg (one-game suspension)
Sarah Ewens (lower-body)