Manchester City are expecting a tough challenge from an improving West Ham United side at The Academy Stadium this afternoon according to head coach Gareth Taylor.
The Hammers flirted with relegation last season but they have taken four points from their opening three games this season and they most-recently defeated newly-promoted Leicester City 4-0 last weekend.
Speaking ahead of this afternoon’s meeting at The Academy Stadium, Manchester City boss Taylor said that he has been impressed with West Ham United so far this season and they will be a tough opponent.
“We are expecting a tough game,” Taylor said in the pre-match press conference in which FAWSL Full-Time were present. “They’ll try to make it difficult for us and try to protect the spaces as much as possible.
“They’ve had a bit of fluidity now with the manager having been there for a while and obviously, retaining players last season and changing a few.
“Their results have been good so far, they have certainly made a step up in that respect so we expect a tough game.”
Summer signing Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw netted her first Manchester City hat-trick in the 6-0 midweek victory over Leicester City in the quarter-finals of the Vitality Women’s FA Cup. Ellen White has been the preferred starter in the last couple of league games and Taylor avoided offering any clues on whether he would go with hat-trick hero Shaw or White against West Ham United.
He said “We will see. We need to see how all of the players react in training. There is competition in all areas and Bunny didn’t do herself any harm by scoring a hat-trick, I have challenged her to repeat the performance from the second half (against Leicester City).
“Ellen White is a class act, she will always score goals and she provides so much for the team. I think that Khadija has a good example of what a top professional striker looks like in Ellen White so I am sure that she is using that on a daily basis.
The Barclays FA Women’s Super League fixture between Manchester City and West Ham United at The Academy Stadium kicks-off at 2pm. Fans can still snap up their tickets for the match by clicking here.