It is Manchester derby day in the Women's Super League on Sunday as City Women host United Women at the Etihad Stadium.
City striker Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw is set to miss out, although Gareth Taylor says her return is "imminent", while Alex Greenwood and Lauren Hemp are both out with knee injuries.
The hosts beat Ipswich in the Women's FA Cup last time out but had previously lost 3-0 to Barcelona in Europe before going down 2-1 to Everton in their final WSL game of 2024.
United beat West Brom 7-0 in the Cup to extend their winning run to four games after pre-Christmas triumphs over Liverpool (4-0), Newcastle (5-3 - League Cup) and Crystal Palace (1-0) to end last year.
A point separates the two teams in the WSL standings and that may be what they have to settle for on Sunday evening.
Draw - 31/10
The injuries have been piling up for City and it has been notable that Taylor and the board have been active in the transfer market, with German defender Rebecca Knaak joining from FC Rosengard and she is in line for her league debut after featuring against Ipswich.
Knaak has been joined in Manchester by Japanese midfielder Aemu Oyama, whose signing was confirmed on Saturday and who has been registered in time for Sunday's contest, while Brazilian forward Kerolin is another rumoured target.
After a tough end to 2024, City will want to resume their league campaign with a morale-boosting victory and have won the last three derbies.
However, United seem to be onto a good thing under Marc Skinner, winning last season's Women's FA Cup for the first time in their history and are on course to improve on 2023/24's fifth-place finish.
A victory over their local rivals would prove their credentials but the occasion could be a leveller, as might City's injuries.
Winning would be massive for both sides, but so would losing, and they appear tough to split.
Celin Bizet Ildhusoy anytime scorer - 13/2
Norwegian international Celin Bizet Ildhusoy has been in and out of the United side since joining from Tottenham before the start of the season but is bound to get minutes on Sunday.
She has often been Skinner's first option when looking to change things but the coach could give her a start at the Etihad after seeing her net a hat-trick as a replacement against the Baggies.
With Geyse unavailable due to personal reasons, the boss might look to capitalise on Ildusoy's confidence from the off.
The 23-year-old is somewhat down the goalscorer betting but her showing last Saturday hints that she is being overlooked in the market, making her a real value option.
Jayde Riviere to be booked - 5/2
Jayde Riviere's all-action performances at right-back have seen her become a cult figure since signing for United in January 2023.
The Canadian's determination can also land her in trouble, receiving three yellow cards in 2024/25 and she could have her hands full against likely opponent Aoba Fujino.
Like Oyama, Fujino is another Japanese wonderkid to have emerged through the Tokyo Verdy Beleza youth setup and has settled well after signing last summer.
A talented dribbler, Riviere will look to get tight to Fujino throughout the game and that could lead to another yellow card.
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Manchester City Women - 4/7
Draw - 31/10
Manchester United Women - 4/1
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.