Manchester United Women turn their focus back to the League Cup campaign on Wednesday evening when we take on Everton at Leigh Sports Village.
The Reds are looking for valuable points to progress beyond the competition’s group stage. We have drawn the previous two games away to Durham and Aston Villa but lost out the bonus point after penalty shootouts.
Meanwhile, our opponents sit second in the group with five points having beat Villa and Sheffield United respectively in the opening two games.
United will be beaming with confidence after putting on an excellent display to put five past Aston Villa at Old Trafford last weekend. Goals from Katie Zelem, Leah Galton, Alessia Russo, Ona Batlle, and Rachel Williams capped a memorable day at the Theatre of Dreams.
United should be looking to go all the way in the League Cup but with victories in our last two games against Everton and Sheffield United, we need to rely on other results to get out of the group stages.
Both teams met in the Women’s Super League at the end of October, where the Reds secured a comfortable 3-0 win at Walton Hall Park. This was United’s fifth consecutive league win at the time.
Manchester United Women’s Team News
Head coach Marc Skinner said he has no new injury concerns. Aoife Mannion is the only player still on the sidelines. She is in the final stages of recovering from her ACL injury and could make a matchday squad before Christmas.
It is likely we will see rotation for this game from the team that played at Old Trafford with Aissatou Tounkara, Vilde Boe Risa, and Adriana Leon looking for more minutes.
Manchester United Women Predicted Lineup
Baggaley; Batlle, Tounkara, Thorisdottir, Blundell; Moore, Ladd, Staniforth; Bøe Risa, Leon, Thomas.
Opposition Preview
Everton Women had a tough run of fixtures of late, succumbing to narrow defeats against Arsenal and Manchester City. In between the fixtures, the Toffees secured a 3-0 win over Sheffield United to sit second in group A of the League Cup thanks to goals from Katja Snoeijs, Hanna Bennison, and Jess Park.
Manager Brian Sorensen said he intends to rotate his squad for this fixture. Nicoline Sorensen came on against Arsenal in her first appearance in over a year having recovered from a long-term injury and is likely to see some game time. Megan Finnigan and Clare Wheeler will not feature. However, Izzy Christiansen will be available for selection.
Form Guide
Manchester United Women League Cup form: LL
Manchester United Women form (all competitions): WLWLWW
Everton Women League Cup form: WW
Everton Women form (all competitions): WWLLWL
Prediction
Our progression in the league cup remains in the balance. United have only taken two points from their opening two games, which means we rely on other teams’ results. With squad rotation expected, the Reds should have enough to come away with a victory though it may not be enough.
Manchester United Women 3-1 Everton Women
