City in Australia: Leicester City scout report

A close look at City’s first opponents on our pre-season tour of Australia.

Gareth Taylor‘s side will face Leicester City at Perth’s HBF Park at 11:15 (UK) on Wednesday 28 August.

The winner of that match will play the victor when Paris Saint-Germain and West Ham United battle.

That final, and a third place play-off, will both be played at HBF Park on Sunday 1 September.

Both of City’s matches on tour will be available to watch live globally on mancity.com and our official app with a CITY+ subscription.

Here we find out a little bit more about the team we’ll play first…

History

After starting life in 2004, the team became part of the Leicester City club in 2020.

Transitioning into a full-time, professional outfit, the Club made 13 new signings for their third consecutive season in the second tier.

That year they achieved promotion to the Barclays Women’s Super League for the first time and it’s where they’ve been ever since.

In 2021/22, they avoided relegation by just two points before steady improvements in terms of points totals over the last two campaigns.

Watch: City Women’s 2023/24 season review

Manager

This summer saw the arrival of French manager Amandine Miquel to the King Power.

The 40-year-old has joined the Foxes after seven seasons at Reims.

After promotion in her second season, Miquel has overseen five years in the Premiere Ligue, including a fourth-placed finish in the last campaign.

Key players

Our fans will instantly recognise Leicester’s new signing Ruby Mace, who joined from City this summer.

With 10 goals in 30 appearances last season, Finnish forward Jutta Rantala is the biggest goal threat. That haul made her the first Leicester player to reach double figures in a WSL season.

Meanwhile, two stalwarts to watch out for are Sophie Howard and Sam Tierney. They are the only two players to appear 100 times for Leicester City Women.

2023/24 performance

Four wins from 22 games saw Leicester safely finish in 10th place in a 12-team league.

A further six draws saw them reach 18 points for the season, well ahead of relegated Bristol City.

It had all seemed promising early on for Leicester, with two wins from their first two games against Bristol City and Everton.

It was in the FA Cup where they enjoyed the most success, reaching extra time of the semi-final before being denied a Wembley appearance.

A 4-0 win over Derby County started their run, before a 6-2 defeat of Birmingham City. Their biggest result came in a 2-0 at Liverpool at the quarter-final stage, before Spurs eventually came out on top in the final four.

Leicester finished third in City’s group of five in the League Cup, one point behind second placed Manchester United.

Previous meetings

Chloe Kelly‘s low drilled strike won a tight game for City at the King Power Stadium in October 2023, before a 2-2 draw came in the League Cup the following month.

City then looked likely to be frustrated in the return league match at the Joie Stadium until a moment of pure improvisation from Lauren Hemp.

The England winger’s scorpion kick was a moment we’ll see replayed over and over for the rest of her career.

The lead was doubled and victory secured a few minutes later by Kelly, with her second goal against Leicester in one season.

Australia Tour 2024

Both of City’s matches in Perth will be globally available to watch on mancity.com and our official app with a CITY+ subscription.

First we play Leicester City at 11:15 (UK) on Wednesday 28 August, before facing either Paris Saint-Germain or West Ham United on Sunday 1 September.

CITY+ is available via an annual subscription of £34.99 a year, saving you £24 on our monthly offering.

Choose monthly and pay £4.99 a month with the option to cancel anytime.

Official Cityzens and Season Ticket Members can subscribe annually for £30 a year, a saving of £29.

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