Kop: A Great Opportunity To Make History
- LCFC Women face Liverpool in the Adobe Women’s FA Cup
- Saturday’s quarter-final fixture kicks-off at 12pm GMT at Prenton Park
- We have a great opportunity to reach the next round, says Lize Kop
- Ticketing and coverage details for the cup tie can be found HERE
This weekend sees Leicester travel to Liverpool where the two sides will meet in the the FA Cup at Prenton Park.
Keen to keep the cup run going, Kop previewed the fixture during Thursday’s press conference at Belvoir Drive and believes there are qualities from the recent Chelsea defeat that the Foxes should learn from.
“We’re all very excited to play the game this Saturday against Liverpool,” the ‘keeper explained. “It’s a great chance for us to get into the semi-final so we’re excited, especially after the Chelsea game.
“We had a good first half last weekend, and we need to keep building on that, and bring that confidence into the Liverpool game.
“It’s always nice to play games, that’s why I came here in the summer; to build myself, but also the team. So, for me to be playing is very exciting and I’m enjoying the time on the pitch.”
Picking up an early injury during her time with the Club, the Dutch shot-stopper is delighted to have her chance in the team, but also commends the ability of Janina Leitzig, saying that the two of them share a good connection and do well to push each other on.
“I had an injury at the start of the season, so to begin with, it was about getting back fit and building confidence on the pitch,” Kop continued. “I needed to prove I could be playing the games.
“I got the opportunities in the Continental Tyres League Cup, so it was nice to use those games to show my qualities and I appreciated the chance to play.
“The truth is we have two really good goalkeepers so it’s nice that we can get the best out of each other, where I can learn from Jani (Janina Leitzig) and she can learn from me, and it’s nice to be in an environment like this.
“You always play in the same position so you want to play, but this season has been different where we can both play games, and we can learn from each other. We understand our position well and it’s nice that we can talk and have that strong union.”
A win on Saturday afternoon in Tranmere would see City reach the semi-final of the competition for the first time in their history.
Manager Willie Kirk has experienced a Wembley final during his time with Everton and Kop explained how he has been sharing his thoughts during recent training sessions and how the whole team aims for passage into the next round.
“It’s history for the Club, so it’s a great opportunity for us to reach the next round,” the 25-year-old voiced. “We’re going to go for it and I’m very excited.
“The Manager has spoken about his experience of being there before and we all want to get to the final. It’s a great opportunity and we all want to play in it so that’s a good motivation.
“As sports professionals, we want to win every game and this is just another one of those cases, but of course it is special should we make history by making it into the semi-final.”
Liverpool will be no easy task, however, as they have seen three victories on the bounce, which included a 2-0 win over London City Lionesses in the previous round.
Kop spoke once again about Chelsea and how the Foxes must use promising parts of this game to challenge the Reds this weekend.
The No.23 added: “We played a good first half against Chelsea, and I think we need to bring that same performance and confidence against Liverpool and just focus on our own game.
“We can’t be distracted about the game they are trying to play because we are a good team and that’s the most important part, to help us get a good result.”