🏏 Sat, 12 Sep 2026 12:45 BST
West Ham Women
vs
London City Lionesses
Positions estimated (no formation data from the API)
Substitutes
Substitutes
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- The opening weekend split these two sharply. West Ham lost 3-1 away at Tottenham Hotspur and sit 13th on zero points with a -2 goal difference, while London City Lionesses beat Manchester United 2-1 at home to bank three points and climb to fourth on +1. The visitors want to stay in touch with leaders Liverpool, who top the table on three points and a +4 goal difference; the hosts are still chasing their first point of the season.
- West Ham centre-back Saki Kumagai, 35, faces one of her former clubs: she played for London City Lionesses before joining the Hammers. The Japan captain has more than 162 caps, converted the winning penalty in the 2011 Women's World Cup final shootout, and collected 19 trophies at Olympique Lyonnais including five Champions League titles. Her reading of the game will be tested by a heavily invested attack.
- Riko Ueki leads the line for the hosts. The 27-year-old Japan striker came through Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Beleza, scored four goals at the U-17 World Cup and five at the U-20 World Cup on the way to that title, and finished as Japan's top scorer at the 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup. At 165cm she thrives on sharp movement and finishing inside the box.
- A third Japan international, Yu Endo, waits on the bench. The 28-year-old right-back spent 15 years and 171 matches at Urawa Reds Ladies, helping them to back-to-back WE League and AFC Women's Champions League titles, and offers accurate crossing plus dependable defending. Kumagai also came through Urawa, giving West Ham a distinctly Japanese spine in this squad.
- There is a possible twin match-up down the flanks. West Ham right-back Estelle Cascarino, 29, is a France international who has played for Lyon, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus, and is currently on loan from the Italian club. Her twin sister Delphine Cascarino, also 29, is among London City's substitutes: a right winger with 223 appearances and 45 goals across nine seasons at Lyon, plus six Champions League titles.
- London City's spending stands out even in this league. Alexia Putellas, 32, arrived from Barcelona, and alongside her sits Grace Geyoro, the 29-year-old France international with 102 caps who made 270 appearances and scored 54 goals as PSG captain. Geyoro joined for a reported world-record fee of around one million euros and brings box-to-box running with a real goal threat from midfield.
- The visiting back line is just as decorated. Mapi Leon, 31, has Barcelona and Atletico Madrid behind her; Alanna Kennedy, 31, has over 148 Australia caps and was named MVP of the 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup after scoring five goals; and Netherlands centre-back Isa Kardinaal, 21, debuted in the Eredivisie at 16 with Ajax. West Ham's 178cm France forward Kelly Gago, signed from Nantes in December 2024 and tied down to 2028, will have to win her aerial duels.
- The midfield contrast is compelling. Katie Zelem, 30, the former Manchester United captain, dictates for West Ham from a deeper role with excellent set-piece delivery, supported by Seraina Piubel, 26, a Swiss attacking midfielder who won four straight Super League titles at Zurich and was named the league's player of the year in 2023-24. London City counter with Danielle van de Donk, 35, a Euro 2017 winner with the Netherlands, and Freya Godfrey, called into the England squad for the first time in February 2026.
- There is a story behind each goal too. West Ham use 180cm France goalkeeper Constance Picaud, 28, a product of PSG, Le Havre and Fleury, while London City start Spain's Elene Lete with England international Mary Earps, 33, formerly of Manchester United and PSG, in reserve. The hosts also hold England forward Ebony Salmon, 25, and 20-year-old Lyon-schooled Switzerland striker Leila Wandeler back for the closing stages.