Manager Rehanne Skinner has made two changes from the side that fell to a narrow defeat against Aston Villa for West Ham United women's team's final Barclays Women’s Super League fixture of the season, at Leicester City.
The Hammers, who could finish in the top half of the standings with a win on Saturday, if other results go their way, travel to King Power Stadium looking to chalk up another three points as the curtain falls on the 2024/25 campaign.
With a change in both the defence and attack to the starting XI, Skinner has introduced centre-back Eva Nyström and Manuela Paví, in place of Amber Tysiak and Oona Siren.
Finland international Nyström kept a clean sheet in her last start, which saw the Hammers hold third-place Manchester United to a goalless draw at Chigwell Construction Stadium on Saturday 19 April, while Paví’s last start came in our 2-0 derby-day success at home to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday 23 March.
So, Kinga Szemik will start in between the sticks against Leicester, meaning she has started every WSL match this term, and she will have a back four of Anouk Denton, Shelina Zadorsky, Nyström and Verena Hanshaw ahead of her.
Captain Katrina Gorry will marshal the midfield, potentially with Seraina Piubel, or the Switzerland international could join an attacking trio of Paví, Viviane Asseyi and Shekiera Martinez, who on Friday was crowned the PFA WSL Fans’ Player of the Month for April.
France international Asseyi will be hoping to find the target against the Foxes again after her goal was enough to secure a 1-0 win for Skinner’s side in the reverse fixture in November.
Skinner has nine substitutes to turn to at King Power Stadium: goalkeeper Megan Walsh, defenders Camila Sáez, Kirsty Smith and Tysiak, midfielders Siren and Marika Bergman Lundin, and forwards Emma Harries, Soraya Walsh, and Princess Ademiluyi.
Leicester City: Leitzig, Howard, Tierney, Cayman ©, Ale, Chossenotte Thibaud, Goodwin, Cain, Momiki, Swaby
Subs: Clark (GK), Nevin, Bott, Takarada, Las, Eiríksdóttir, Sherwood, Torres, O’Brien
West Ham United: Szemik, Denton, Zadorsky, Nyström, Hanshaw, Gorry ©, Martinez, Paví, Asseyi, Piubel, Ueki
Subs: M.Walsh (GK), Smith, Sáez, Tysiak, Siren, Bergman Lundin, Harries, Ademiluyi, S. Walsh
Referee: Lucy May
