Lauren Hemp is set to return to City's starting line-up ahead of the first WSL Manchester derby of the season.
The England international has recovered from an ankle injury in time to feature for Andrée Jeglertz’s side against Manchester United.
Iman Beney makes way for the winger as the only change from the side who beat Everton in City’s most recent fixture.
Kerstin Casparij wears the captain’s armband again in the absence of Alex Greenwood.
Teams
City XI: Yamashita, Rose, Knaak, Ouahabi, Casparij (C), Blindkilde Brown, Hasegawa, Hemp, Fujino, Miedema, Shaw
Subs: Keating, Clinton, Coombs, Wienroither, Lohmann, Beney, Prior, Thomas, Oldroyd
United XI: Middleton-Patel, Sandberg, Le Tissier (C), Toone, Park, Terland, Galton, Riviere, Janssen, Zigiotti, Miyazawa
Subs: Rendell, George, Blundell, Malard, Rolfo, Awujo, Naalsund, Williams, Griffiths
Tactics
Ayaka Yamashita starts in goal, shielded by a defensive unit of Casparij, Jade Rose, Rebecca Knaak and Leila Ouahabi.
City will likely line-up in a back three while in possession, but revert to a back four without the ball. Casparij is likely to be the one with licence to get forward.
Laura Blindkilde Brown and Yui Hasegawa will be the midfield two, with Hemp likely on the left flank providing energy in attacking and defensive areas.
At the sharp end, we expect Aoba Fujino and Vivianne Miedema will sit behind Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw in a front three.
Hemp Returns
The big news for City is the return of Hemp to the starting XI, for the first time since our 5-1 win at Tottenham Hotspur in September.
She returned as a substitute at Goodison Park last week and has come through another full week of training to pass the fitness test from the get-go.
Hemp has lit up some Manchester derbies in the past, and put on a masterclass here at the Etihad against Tottenham Hotspur last season with a hat-rick of assists.
Here’s hoping she puts on a similarly impressive performance this afternoon.
Quality Reinforcements
Hemp’s return sees Beney drop to the bench.
The Swiss teenager has been one of City’s standout performers so far this season, grabbing another assist last week, so is perhaps a little unlucky to miss out today.
However, it just demonstrates the depth Jeglertz now has at his disposal, with the likes of Grace Clinton, Sydney Lohmann and Laura Coombs to name just a few also among the subs.
United and City are two of the WSL’s most in-form teams, so a spark from the bench could prove the difference.
Form Guide
It’s first vs. third in the WSL this afternoon, and although there’s a long way to go this season there’s a feeling that a win for either side could prove significant in the rapidly developing title race.
City, top of the league with the best attacking record so far, have won each of our last seven matches after an opening day defeat to Chelsea.
United’s 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa is their only loss of the season so far, and they remain unbeaten on the road, four points behind the Blues ahead of kick-off.
An eighth win in a row for City, or United’s unbeaten away record continues? Something’s got to give...
Familiar faces
Much of the pre-match talk has been around two England stars returning to face their former club for the first time since a summer move across Manchester.
Jess Park has started like a house on fire at United with four goals and two assists in eight matches, forming a dangerous partnership behind Melvine Malard with Ella Toone.
Clinton’s time at City so far has been hampered by injury, but she returned from the bench at Goodison Park last week and will be keen to make an impact from the bench again today.
A player of her quality and industry could be vital if we need someone to come in and take the game by the scruff of the neck today.
Match stats
Manchester City have won each of their last seven matches in the Women’s Super League – their longest winning streak in the competition since a run of 14 between November 2023 - April 2024.
Manchester United lost their most recent game in the WSL (0-1 vs Aston Villa on MD8) and the Red Devils are seeking to avoid suffering back-to-back defeats in the top-flight for the first time since May 2024.
Manchester City have won seven of their opening eight games in the WSL this season (L1). Indeed, they’ve only won more points than their current 21 at this stage of a campaign in 2017/18 (22 points), with that also the only previous WSL season that the Citizens won eight of their opening nine games.
Manchester United are the only side to have a 100% record away from home in the Women’s Super League this season (P4 W4), while the Red Devils have only once previously won five in a row away in the same top-flight campaign – winning their opening five on the road in 2020/21.
Manchester City have scored more goals than any other side in the WSL across 2025/26 (20 goals).
Meanwhile, City have only failed to score in one of their last 46 matches in the competition (a 2-0 loss away at Chelsea in November last year).
Manchester City will be the first team to start a matchday as the WSL leaders this far into a season other than Chelsea since the Citizens themselves, who were top heading into MD21 of the 2023-24 campaign, before ultimately finishing as runners-up on goal difference.
After scoring just one goal in seven WSL matches against Manchester United for Arsenal, Vivianne Miedema netted in her only previous league appearance against the Red Devils for Manchester City in this fixture last season.