🏏 Sun, 18 Oct 2026 14:00 BST
London City Lionesses
vs
Everton Women
4-2-3-1 vs 4-2-3-1
Substitutes
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Match Preview
- London City Lionesses sit third on 12 points from five matches (four wins, one defeat), and their goal difference of +10 matches second-placed Manchester City. Everton arrive fifth on nine points from three wins and two losses, meaning victory here would draw them level with their hosts. With Chelsea leading on 16 points from six games and Manchester City on 15 from five, both sides know how quickly ground can be lost at the top.
- The contrast in attacking output is striking. London City have scored 15 goals in five games, winning 4-1 away at Charlton Athletic in round three and 6-1 away at Tottenham in round five. Everton, by comparison, have managed just four goals all season yet still have nine points, with all three wins arriving by a single goal: 1-0 over Charlton, 1-0 at West Ham and 2-1 against Birmingham City. Their record of only four goals conceded will be tested severely.
- The midfield battle should decide the balance of the game. London City's double pivot in their 4-2-3-1 pairs Grace Geyoro, a 102-cap France international who made 270 appearances and scored 54 goals for Paris Saint-Germain before joining for a fee reported at around one million euros, with Daniela Arques, signed from Sporting CP. Everton's 4-4-2 counters through Australia defensive midfielder Clare Wheeler, 28, a veteran of the 2023 World Cup and Paris Olympics, and Ruby Mace, 23, who arrived from Leicester City for a club-record fee in September 2025 and can play both centre-back and holding midfield.
- London City's attacking band is as strong as any in the division. Delphine Cascarino, who scored 45 goals in 223 appearances across nine seasons at Lyon, operates wide alongside Kadidiatou Diani, 31, signed from Lyon in July for a fee in excess of 500,000 pounds. Diani claimed the Silver Boot at the 2023 World Cup and finished as Champions League top scorer in 2023-24. Daniëlle van de Donk, 35, a key figure in the Netherlands' Euro 2017 triumph, takes the central role behind Freya Godfrey, who earned her first England call-up in February 2026.
- Everton's back line features Japan centre-back Rion Ishikawa, 23, who joined from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Urawa Reds Ladies for her first move abroad and has started regularly since arriving. At 172cm she relies on physical duels and aerial strength, and she is partnered by 22-year-old England Under-23 defender Naomi Layzell, the 175cm former Manchester City centre-back. Holding off a side that has scored 15 goals in five matches will be the sternest examination this young pairing has faced.
- A second Japanese international starts in attack: Yuka Momiki, 30, lines up in Everton's front two. Born in 1996, the left-footed forward played at the 2019 Women's World Cup and the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and was once voted the best midfielder in the Swedish league, where her dribbling and long-range shooting stood out. She partners Australia striker Holly McNamara, who joined on a free transfer from Melbourne City. Between them they must lift a side that has found the net only four times.
- Everton also carry midfield quality on the bench. Japan international Honoka Hayashi, 28, joined from West Ham in the summer of 2024 and scored the goal that ended Chelsea's 34-match unbeaten run, underlining her habit of delivering in big moments. Beside her sits Italy's Aurora Galli, 29, a four-time Serie A champion with Juventus whose strike against Jamaica at the 2019 World Cup was among the goals of the tournament. Whichever is introduced first could change the shape of the contest.
- Nikita Parris faces a former club from the London City bench. The 32-year-old England winger previously played for Everton before spells at Manchester City, Lyon, Arsenal and Manchester United, and she was part of the squad that won UEFA Women's Euro 2022. Her explosive pace and finishing make her an awkward proposition for a defence being asked to hold out for long spells.
- London City's defensive line is strikingly cosmopolitan. Italy's Elena Linari, 32, named in the Team of the Tournament at Euro 2025, partners 21-year-old Netherlands centre-back Isa Kardinaal, who made her Eredivisie debut at 16 with Ajax. Flanking them are Lucía Corrales, a 20-year-old La Masia graduate whose natural position is left wing, and Hanna Fernández, 24, who made 94 appearances for Barcelona and won five consecutive Liga F titles.
- The strength in depth on the home bench is remarkable. Alexia Putellas, 32, arrived from Barcelona; Mary Earps, the 33-year-old goalkeeper, has Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain behind her; María Pérez, 24, is a 2023 World Cup winner who plays as a holding midfielder. Add Germany forward Nicole Anyomi, 26, who scored 60 goals in 130 games for Eintracht Frankfurt, finished runner-up at Euro 2022 and won bronze at the Paris Olympics, and the options are formidable.