Bristol City vs Man City: Last April fixture preview as key player set to miss out
By Hidayah Ali
The Women's Super League almost reaches its end, and for Manchester City, the title looks closer than ever as the title race continues.
Playing their first fixture on the weekend since the international break, City cruised past West Ham with a scoreline of 5-0.
Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw claimed a brace, while Leila Ouahabi, Laura Blindkilde Brown and Jess Park were also on the scoresheet.
Man City went to the top of the table with 49 points accumulated, while Chelsea missed their WSL game due to the Women's Champions League clash with Barcelona.
Chelsea will again miss their League fixture, as the UWCL second leg takes place this weekend, giving Man City the chance to go six points clear until Chelsea have the chance to make up the points.
While the three or six-point gap isn't an accurate portrait of the table - or even how Man City's chance of winning the League looks - it's still a boost of confidence for the Cityzens to know that their opponents need to catch up to them.
Next for Manchester City, it's Bristol City. The last time the two sides met City were 5-0 winners and will attempt the same outcome this time around.
To the disheartenment of Man City supporters and the club itself, top goalscorer Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw's injury worry has been confirmed to keep her out for all the remaining games.
Scoring a total of 21 goals in her 18 appearances this season, Bunny Shaw's absence will be greatly missed and many will worry that at this point in the League, will withdrawal be costly enough to miss out on the title.
Despite Shaw being City's most trusted goalscorer, Gareth Taylor's squad has many names that have clinical in front of goal such as Jess Park, Laura Coombs, and Lauren Hemp, who recently announced her contract extension with the club.
Khadija Shaw joins Jill Roord on the list of names that have sustained injuries, and it seems as both names will remain out while their teammates fight for the WSL, with only three games to go.
While this weekend's fixture could find City not being too troubled by the last-placed side in the League, attention will automatically go to the Arsenal fixture, which could be make or break for the squad.
During the two meetings this season, the first ended in a 2-1 win for the Gunners, and then the FA Cup brought a 1-0 victory for City. The result could go either way, but for City, only a win will benefit as any dropped points could be seen as the title slipping away.
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