Manchester City Women take on Paris FC in the second leg of their UEFA Women’s Champions League second round qualifying fixture on Thursday evening.
After Sunday’s 2-2 draw against Arsenal in the opening round of the WSL, Gareth Taylor must now shift his attention back to European competition. City take a comfortable 5-0 aggregate lead into this midweek clash, which could allow room for some rotation in the squad.
Jess Park, Vivianne Miedema, Mary Fowler and Chloe Kelly were among the goals in the previous meeting between these two sides. The English club will hope for a similar result this time around as they look to secure their place in the group stage of the competition for the first time since the 2020/21 season.
Here is 90min’s guide to City’s European clash against Paris FC.
|
Man City |
Paris FC |
|---|---|
|
Arsenal 2-2 Man City – 22/09/24 |
Guingamp 0-6 Paris FC (22/09/24) |
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Paris FC 0-5 Man City – 18/09/24 |
Paris FC 0-5 Man City – 18/09/24 |
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Aston Villa 1-2 Man City – 18/05/24 |
Paris FC 2-0 Sparta Praha – 07/09/24 |
|
Man City 1-2 Arsenal – 05/05/24 |
Paris FC 9-0 First Vienna – 04/09/24 |
|
Bristol City 0-4 Man City – 28/05/24 |
Paris FC 1-1 Reims – 17/05/24 |
|
Country |
TV Channel/livestream |
|---|---|
|
United Kingdom |
CITY+ |
City’s only significant absentee as things stand is midfielder Jill Roord. The Dutchwoman has been sidelined since January after suffering an ACL injury in a League Cup fixture against rivals Manchester United.
Taylor confirmed ahead of the weekend’s clash against Arsenal that Roord is ahead of schedule and closing in on a return. However, this midweek clash in the Champions League will likely come too soon for the midfielder.
During Sunday’s clash against Arsenal, defender Leila Ouahabi was forced off with a suspected groin issue. However, it is not yet known whether the injury is serious enough to keep her sidelines for any amount of time.
Man City predicted lineup vs Paris FC
Man City predicted lineup vs Paris FC (4-3-3): Yamashita; Casparij, Kennedy, Greenwood, Aleixandri; Hasegawa, Park, Miedema; Fowler, Fujino, Hemp
Celina Ould Hocine and Clara Mateo were both substituted at half time during Paris FC’s 6-0 league win over Guingamp on Sunday. However, the team were already five goals to the good, and neither change appeared to be injury related.
Paris FC predicted lineup vs Man City
Paris FC predicted lineup vs Man City (4-2-3-1): Nnadozie; Ould Hocine, Davis, Greboval, N’Dongala; Corboz, Korosec; Mateo, Thiney, Dufour; Bourdieu
If the first leg result is anything to go by, this should be another comfortable match for Taylor’s side. No risks will be taken as the Manchester club look to progress to the group stage of the competition.
Apart from one or two potential changes to manage minutes, it’s likely City will field close to their strongest XI. If the likes of Miedema, Park and Fowler are on the pitch, it’s hard to see anyone stopping them from scoring.
Prediction: Man City 3-0 Paris FC
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