Match Preview: Bristol City Women vs. LCFC Women
- LCFC Women travel to Women's Super League side Bristol City on Wednesday for the League Cup tie
- The fixture will be played at Twerton Park with coverage on The FA Player (7:30pm kick-off)
- The Foxes beat Crystal Palace in their quarter-final, while the Robins saw off Aston Villa
- The winners will play either West Ham United or Chelsea in the final at Vicarage Road
City are aiming to become the first FA Women's Championship side to reach the final of the League Cup when they take on Women's Super League outfit Bristol City.
Ahead of the last four clash at Twerton Park, LCFC.com has the lowdown on everything you need to know about the fixture...
The Foxes camp
LCFC Women secured a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace at Hayes Lane on 14 January to reach the semi-finals of the competition for the first time in the Club's history.
City's only fixture since then was the 2-1 league win against Liverpool at Prenton Park three days later, which maintained the Foxes' position at the top of the Championship standings.
Ones to watch
Robins forward Ebony Salmon has been a shining light in the Bristol team this season, scoring twice during Sunday's win over Brighton & Hove Albion, as well as an injury-time equaliser in November's draw with Tottenham Hotspur. In the League Cup, meanwhile, the 20-year-old netted twice in just three minutes to ensure quarter-final progression at the expense of Aston Villa and has eight goals in all competitions this term. Bristol's No.9 previously played for Manchester United and arrived at Twerton Park in July 2019 after a loan spell at Sheffield United.
Fellow 20-year-old midfielder Aimee Palmer has also been an integral part of the Bristol City team this season, starting seven league matches for the Robins. Formerly of Manchester United, Palmer is an England Under-21s international who re-joined the club in the summer of 2020 after two years with the Red Devils, where she won the Championship title in 2018/19 before also spending time on loan at Sheffield United.
Talking points
LCFC Women manager Jonathan Morgan commented in his pre-match press conference: "The fact that myself and the girls get to put themselves up against another WSL team is brilliant. It’s a bit nerve-wracking going into your first elite semi-final. It’s uncharted territory for us, but all of the investment and the work that’s been done behind the scenes with Leicester is starting to really pay dividends. I think we should be really proud of ourselves that we can say we’re in the semi-finals of the League Cup."
Speaking to bcfc.co.uk, Bristol City defender Jemma Purfield said: "Leicester are a good team and we know it is not going to be an easy game. They’ve shown their quality and consistency throughout the Championship season so far and we know they can’t be underestimated. We’ve got to take confidence from our last win and fight to book a place in the final. We’re not going to shy away from the challenge, we’ve worked even harder in training to ensure we’re in the best place possible going into Wednesday’s game."
Opposition form guide
Saturday's 3-0 win over Brighton was Bristol's first three points of the campaign, ending a run of four straight defeats. Yana Daniëls opened the scoring before Ebony Salmon's double secured the points for Matt Beard's side.
The Robins remain bottom of the Women's Super League table but are now just two points behind Aston Villa and West Ham United, who both have a game in hand.
Bristol City finished top of Group F, beating Championship sides Crystal Palace, Lewes and London Bees, before also dispatching Aston Villa 2-1 in the last eight, to reach the League Cup Semi-Finals.
Next up is a return to league action against West Ham United on Sunday 7 February (3pm kick-off).
Last time out
This will be the first League Cup meeting between the two sides since August 2018 when the Foxes won 4-2 on penalties at Farley Way Stadium, after a 2-2 draw in normal time.
The home side twice went in front via Melissa Johnson and then Sophie Domingo, but a double from Lucy Graham took the game to penalties, where Leicester earned a bonus group-stage point.
How to follow
Wednesday's semi-final clash will be broadcast live and for free on The FA Player, while supporters can also stay up to date with all the goings on at Twerton Park via LCFC Women's official social media channels.
Matchday build-up and regular in-game updates can be found on Twitter, alongside plenty of behind-the-scenes content over on Instagram and Facebook.
Following the full-time whistle in Bath, post-match reaction from the Foxes camp, including interviews and match highlights, will be available on LCFC TV.
All times GMT.