Match Preview: Manchester City vs Ipswich Town
- Lauren White
- Jan 10
- 3 min read
Ipswich Town from the FAWNL Southern Premier Division face Manchester City of the WSL in the Fourth Round of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup.
The hosts are the Joie Stadium on Sunday 12th January with kick off at 1pm and a place in the next round up for grabs. Prior to the match, It was announced that Lauren Phillips had joined the Tractor Girls as their new Assistant Manager. `
Last time the sides faced each other:
The last time Ipswich travelled to the Joie Stadium was in February 2020, just before the coronavirus pandemic. The tractor girls lost 10-0 in their Adobe Women’s FA Cup tie with Manchester City of which they secured their place in the Quarter-Finals for the seventh year in a row. Pauline Bremer (now at Brighton and Hove Albion), Jess Park and Georgia Stanway (now at Bayern Munich) all scored hat tricks on the day with Laura Coombs also on the scoresheet.
Last time out:
For Manchester City, this is their first game in the Adobe Women’s FA Cup this year after being in the UEFA Women’s Champions League. Their last game before the winter break was an away trip to Barcelona in the UWCL of which they lost 3-0. 3 days earlier, they played their final league game of the year against Everton at Walton Hall Park. They also lost that game 2-1 so are looking to start 2025 off with a bang.
For Ipswich Town, their last Adobe Women’s FA Cup was a 1-0 win against Bournemouth in the third round. Sophie Peskett was on the scoresheet against Bournemouth as they secured their place in the fourth round. Before the tie on Sunday, they faced Exeter City in the league of which was later postponed due to freezing weather conditions and concerns over heavy rainfall. Their game was later scheduled to be played Sunday 16th February and will kick off at 2pm.
Ones to watch:
For Manchester City, A player to watch is 18 year old attacker, Lily Murphy. She first arrived at the City Football Academy in 2022 and has waited for her opportunity in the senior side ever since, until this season. She went on the preseason tour to Australia with the senior squad and since then, she has made a handful of appearances in a number of games and competitions.
For Ipswich Town, Goalkeeper Natalia Negri is one of their standout players. The 21 year old signed for the club in the summer after signing from promoted WSL side, Crystal Palace. The keeper has good experience under her belt after playing for Arsenal academy, Charlton and Crystal Palace and therefore is a player to keep your eye on during the fixture.
Gareth Taylor (Manchester City Manager) thoughts ahead of the game:
In his pre-match press conference, Gareth Taylor mentioned that Vivianne Miedema will be back among the squad and starting 11 and also mentioned the teams slight blip before the winter break and how “It is what it is” and the Everton result is still in their minds sometimes.
Teams in the Women’s Super League tend to go on good runs in the second half of season explained Taylor with margins really tight for cup games and got to get things done on the day. He also said that the side “Won’t underestimate Ipswich (town)” and explained how “they (City) are fortune to win the FA Cup and will cherish the moments”.
Taylor explained that “there is nothing to report” on the rumours of Chloe Kelly leaving due to her contract running out in the summer. When asked about her leaving, he stated that Kelly is “still their player” despite all the rumours.
After Injury, Viv Miedema is due to return to the pitch against Ipswich Town with Taylor saying that she is “an outstanding player” and “one of the best he has worked with”. Many in the room asked how she is getting on and whether she will play this weekend with Gareth saying “we will build her (fitness) back up…her being out there helps the others perform better”.
He also commented on how they have Viv (Miedema) and Bunny (Shaw) both returning.”We have Viv (Miedema) back which is a real positive. We are not going (to be able) to go straight back into it with her.” When commenting on Bunny he explained that “she was with us (City) last week, she was training separately.” as well as hoping she will be back sooner rather than later.
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