London City Lionesses head coach Melissa Phillips is expecting a real battle against Bristol City this weekend as both sides push for a second-place finish in the FA Women’s Championship.
The two sides meet at The Robins’ High Performance Centre on Sunday with Bristol City being just one point above The Pride with two games to go.
Bristol City were 3-2 winners when the two sides met at Princes Park in February but London City Lionesses head coach Phillips believes that there was nothing in that game and that this weekend’s meeting will be a real battle.
“When we played them a few weeks back, I feel and they probably feel that they snuck away with one at our place in that 3-2 result,” Phillips told FAWSL Full-Time.
“They couldn’t get out of their half and were up against it. We started the game well but unfortunately, we conceded against the run of play and had to battle back through it in the second half. That game could have easily been a 3-3 or 4-3 match either way with the chances that were presented on either side, there were clear-cut chances for both teams.
“It was an absolute battle and we expect it to be the same this weekend. Both sides are hungry for that second-place finish and it will be about us focusing on ourselves in training and then putting in a very resolute performance.”
Bristol City have made real progress this year after developing an impressive style of attacking football complimented by some physical defending. Phillips went on to say that her side are well-equipped to deal with various elements of the game including those physical challenges.
She said “We are up for the physical battles in the league. Any time that a team sits in and is very difficult to break down, those are very difficult games to score goals in – we saw ourselves drop to Watford in that style and give up a goal on the counter. It is something that you have to face.
“There have been various challenges in the Championship, whether it’s a very transitional style like Palace or a counter attacking style like Watford or teams who want to play, get the ball on the ground and create some exciting opportunities like Liverpool and maybe Lewes. We have faced a lot of different styles across the season and it is going to be about really fine margins on Sunday and who is going to be able to edge this game out.”
The FA Women’s Championship fixture between Bristol City and London City Lionesses kicks-off at 3pm on Sunday afternoon.
About The Author
