‘The match up is very different’ – Bristol City boss Smith looks ahead to Manchester City | OneFootball

Bristol City and Manchester City will be fighting for three points for very different reasons at Ashton Gate this weekend and The Robins’ head coach Lauren Smith says that her side will do everything that they can to remain competitive in the game.

The hosts will be relegated if they fail to pick up a positive result while opponents Manchester City are right up there in the hunt for the Barclays Women’s Super League title.

The contrast between the two sides couldn’t be any bigger this weekend but Bristol City boss Smith is hoping that her side can be competitive and avoid early damage like Manchester City’s previous opponents West Ham United suffered last weekend.

“They’re fighting for their lives because they want to win the league and we are fighting for ours because we want to stay in the league,” Smith said when speaking in the pre-match press conference.

“The match up is very different. We will do everything that we can to stay in the game and give ourselves a shout but obviously, Manchester City have been playing very well. Last week’s warning signs against West Ham were very clear. We don’t want to be in that situation after three minutes.”

Bristol City will have to defy the odds to get a result against Manchester City. Smith says that The Robins must limit their opponents’ opportunities whilst aiming to capitalise on the break themselves.

She said “Against any of the top teams, you want to make sure they get frustrated and don’t get any clear-cut chances but equally, throughout the season, we’ve had some really good opportunities from counter attacks, so that’s one of our strengths. We’ve got a lot of pace in the side and we will use that against them.

“One hundred percent, we want to be clinical in the moments that we do get and we make sure that theirs are limited.”

Manchester City will be without the services of top scorer Khadija Shaw this weekend after the player sustained an injury against West Ham United last time out. Smith says that Shaw’s absence is a huge blow for Manchester City, although they have the quality to fill the void left by her injury.

She said “You have to look at it now and think that it could look like this or it could look like a Plan B. For them, losing Bunny Shaw is a big hit, she’s had an incredible season. She’s difficult to defend against, we’ve had that lesson from a lot of crosses in the first half of the season.

“They’ve got an incredible team, so whoever they replace Bunny with is still going to be a difficult player to handle just in a different way. If it’s Lauren Hemp up there, we know that she’s pacey, got a great finish and can wriggle and create a bit of space. I think we have to be prepared for a number of opportunities for their players but with Bunny not playing at least takes one threat out from crosses.”

Bristol City’s Barclays Women’s Super League fixture against Manchester City kicks-off at 6.45pm on Sunday evening. Tickets remain on-sale and can be purchased by clicking here.