Manchester City will play Arsenal in the semi-final of the Women's FA League Cup this Thursday.
After only facing and suffering a 4-3 loss to the Gunners in the Women's Super League a few days ago, now Manchester City prepare to meet them again in a bid to book their place in this season's final.
Manchester City and Arsenal have already played each other twice in the WSL, the first match ending in a 2-2 draw and the other, which we saw on Sunday, a dramatic 4-3 win for Arsenal.
The Cityzens will be determined to surpass their opponents this time around, and with how disappointingly their campaign has played out in the WSL, the League Cup is a great opportunity for Gareth Taylor's side to have a real chance of attaining silverware.
Their hopes of the WSL have come to an end, with manager Taylor even stating that their aim is now to finish in the top three. It's to be noted that City are still in the FA Cup and the UEFA Women's Champions League; while all of these competitions are tough ones to compete in, the League Cup might be considered the Sky Blues' best shot at claiming a trophy.
A massive task ahead for Manchester City, who will need to achieve their first win over the Gunners in the 24/25 season.
One thing we've learned from Man City in these last few months is that we never know which version of themselves they'll bring into a match. Sometimes, they're an unstoppable opponent, especially in fixtures like their 2-0 win over Barcelona, 2-1 against Liverpool and also a 2-1 victory against rivals Manchester United.
But then there are also the times where they don't rise up to that standard and have ended up with results such as: 2-0 to Chelsea, 4-2 defeat to Man United and even falling 2-1 to Everton.
The club and their fans will be hoping that it's the first example they bring into this crucial fixture.
Gareth Taylor ahead of the semi-final
"The margins are always tight between these teams. We're talking about competing against teams who are rivals in the top four. We came away on Sunday thinking fine margins, it was an even game, we've come out on the wrong side but felt we could be better. There wasn't too much in it."
"It's a tough match for us, we know the level they can produce. We scored three at the weekend but the issue is keeping them out. We need to be tight at the end then firing at the other we have a good opportunity."
"We checked with the players today on the training pitch, most have come through unscathed which is good and players are further down the road with starting."
"Bunny (Shaw), Kerolin, Naomi Layzell, getting that training with these players will help us. From the weekend, we're pretty much as we were. We're feeling this season the strain of being in the Champions League group. That changes the schedule a lot but quality of squad depth is really important to compete on multiple levels."