🏏 Sun, 28 Sep 2025 12:00 BST
Manchester City Women
vs
London City Lionesses
Positions estimated (no formation data from the API)
Substitutes
Substitutes
Match Preview
- Four Japanese internationals are on the pitch at once in this Matchday 4 fixture. City start Ayaka Yamashita in goal, Yui Hasegawa as their holding midfielder and Aoba Fujino on the left, while London City Lionesses field Saki Kumagai, the Nadeshiko Japan legend with more than 162 caps, at centre-back. Team-mates for their country, opponents for 90 minutes here.
- The midfield battle centres on the two holding players, Yui Hasegawa and Maria Perez. Hasegawa reached 100 appearances for City after spells at West Ham and AC Milan, controlling games through positioning and passing accuracy. Perez, only 23, won the 2023 World Cup with Spain and collected every honour available at Barcelona including the Champions League. Both stand just 157cm, and whoever wins that duel will set the tempo.
- Saki Kumagai, 34, faces one of the most destructive front lines in the WSL. Khadija Shaw, the 180cm Jamaica captain, has rewritten WSL scoring records with her two-footed finishing and dominance in the air. Kumagai's reading of the game and leadership were forged at Lyon, where she won 19 trophies including five Champions League titles, and cutting out Shaw's runs in behind is her central task.
- Two of London City's forwards return to a former club. Nikita Parris, 31, came through Manchester City before moving on to Lyon, Arsenal and Manchester United, and the Euro 2022 winner still relies on explosive pace and finishing. Kosovare Asllani, 36, also spent time at City and brings 205 caps and 50 goals for Sweden. Alanna Kennedy, another ex-City defender, waits on the bench.
- London City's recruitment is a story in itself. Grace Geyoro arrived from Paris Saint-Germain for a reported one million euros, a world-record fee, after 270 games and 54 goals as a club captain and with 102 caps for France. The Lionesses also paid around 430,000 pounds for 19-year-old Spain winger Lucia Corrales and added Italy's Elena Linari, named in the Euro 2025 team of the tournament, at the back.
- City's attacking group carries extraordinary firepower. Vivianne Miedema is the WSL's all-time leading scorer and the Netherlands' record goalscorer, and she brought her intelligent movement and ice-cold finishing across from Arsenal. Alongside her is 21-year-old Aoba Fujino, a two-time WE League MVP who beats defenders off the left and who scored Japan's youngest-ever goal at the 2023 World Cup.
- Set pieces could decide this. City captain Alex Greenwood, a centre-back with 100 England caps, takes the penalties, free-kicks and corners with her left foot and can also switch play with long passes. London City counter with a physically imposing back line of Kumagai, Wassa Sangare and Linari, whose aerial strength and organisation earned her the Euro 2025 recognition.
- The goalkeeping duel is worth watching too. Ayaka Yamashita, who came to England from INAC Kobe Leonessa, is Japan's first-choice keeper and is valued for her reflexes and positioning. London City start the 173cm Spaniard Elene Lete, strong on crosses and high balls. City also have 20-year-old Khiara Keating in reserve, a reminder of their depth in that position.
- The benches tell you about both clubs' identities. London City can turn to Katie Zelem, the former Manchester United captain and a superb set-piece deliverer, Sweden's Julia Roddar, who won World Cup bronze in 2019 and Olympic silver in Tokyo, and Finland striker Sanni Franssi, a Serie A alumna from Juventus. City, by contrast, start 20-year-old academy centre-back Gracie Prior and keep 21-year-old Naomi Layzell in reserve.