City’s winless run continued last weekend as Manchester City recorded a 4-1 win at King Power Stadium courtesy of goals from Caroline Weir, Keira Walsh, Lauren Hemp and Laura Coombs.
Jess Sigsworth had opened the scoring against the Citizens, but it wasn’t enough for the Foxes to claim their first top-flight points of the season.
Brighton, meanwhile come into the game off the back of successive league success, beating Everton 1-0 last time out thanks to Aileen Whelan’s strike.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the encounter with the Seagulls on Women’s Football Weekend…
The Foxes camp
Midfielders Charlie Devlin and Sophie Barker both made substitute appearances in the defeat to Manchester City as they move back towards full fitness, while forward Abbi Grant is yet to make her Foxes debut but was on the bench last weekend after injury kept her out of the start of the season.
Lachante Paul and Connie Scofield continue their own recoveries but Hannah Cain remains a long-term absentee after rupturing her ACL.
In the dugout
Long-term Brighton manager Hope Powell, who was appointed in July 2017, continues to push the team in the right direction, as they positioned sixth last season, in the top half of the WSL table for the first time, after two ninth-place finishes.
Powell is best known for her work with the England national team, managing the Lionesses between 1998 and 2013, as well as Team GB in the 2012 Olympics. In a playing career which spanned 20 years and included spells with Millwall and Fulham, Powell won two Women’s FA Cups and a league title. She also received 66 England caps, scoring 35 times from midfield.
The opposition
Brighton have enjoyed an impressive start to 2021/22, winning four of their six fixtures to sit fourth in the top-flight table on 12 points.
The Seagulls defeated West Ham United 2-0 on the opening day of the season and followed it up by coasting to a 5-0 away success at Birmingham City, before recent wins over Tottenham Hotspur (2-1) and Everton (1-0).
A strong defence has provided a solid base to work from and has been the backbone of the team’s current form. Only league leaders Arsenal and third-placed Tottenham have conceded fewer goals than the Seagulls so far this term.
Hope Powell’s outfit also kickstarted their Continental Tyres League Cup campaign with another away triumph over Birmingham City but lost out to Arsenal in the Vitality Women’s FA Cup Semi-Final last month.
Ones to watch
Young defender Maya Le Tissier has gone from strength to strength since arriving at Brighton in 2018 and making her senior and WSL debut at the end of the year. With over 40 appearances in the top-flight already, the 19-year-old is a dependable member of Hope Powell’s backline. After captaining England at the UEFA Women’s U17 Championship, Le Tissier went on to play for the Under-19s age group and recently made an appearance for England Under-23s.
Into her second season with the south coast club, Dutch international Inessa Kaagman joined from Everton in July 2020. Formerly of Ajax, the attacking midfielder won the top-flight twice during her time in Holland. Brighton’s top scorer in 2020/21 with nine goals, the No.10 has scored two and assisted one to date this campaign, playing in all six of the Seagulls’ WSL fixtures after representing her country at the Tokyo Olympics.
Experienced forward Danielle Carter, signed from Reading in the summer, previously won the WSL three times with Arsenal and scored the winning goal in the 2016 Women’s FA Cup Final – one of four cup wins during her decade with the Gunners. The 28-year-old has four caps for England and six international goals to her name. She scored four times in 25 appearances in a single season for Reading last term and has so far netted twice in six WSL games for the Seagulls.
Talking points
Jonathan Morgan told the media: “It’s only a matter of time before we pick up those points, everyone here believes it and feels very positive regarding that. We’ve worked on what we need to work on and we’re just going to go out and take the game to them and just like we do in every game."
Forward Jess Sigsworth spoke about the atmosphere within the dressing room: “It’s always positive. Obviously we’re disappointed with the results, but dwelling on them and being negative won’t help anything. We all keep behind each other, we believe right now that we’re going to go to Brighton and win."
Ticket and travel news
Match tickets must be bought directly from the home team and can be purchased online HERE. They are priced at £5 for adults and £2.50 for Over-65s and Under-18s.
Fox Travel to the fixture at AMEX Stadium is also available to purchase from LCFC.com/tickets, priced at £18. Fox Travel will depart from King Power Stadium at 7:30am on Sunday. More information can be found HERE.
All times GMT.