Manchester City will be looking to extend their unbeaten run in the UEFA Women’s Champions League as they travel to Stockholm to face Hammarby on Thursday evening.
The Cityzens continued their European dominance at the Joie Stadium last week, defeating Hammarby 2-0 thanks to goals from Laura Blindkilde Brown and Aoba Fujino. The English side travel to Stockholm with three wins out of three so far, currently sitting at the top of their group standings.
Tournament newcomers Hammarby have had a turbulent start to their European campaign, clinching a 2-0 victory over St. Polten on matchday one before falling to consecutive defeats against Barcelona and Man City. The Bajen faithful will play a big part in the home leg, after their incredible travelling support filled the Joie Stadium with noise last week.
Having been drawn in what many may consider to be the toughest group in the Champions League, it would probably take a miracle for this young side to out-qualify City or Barcelona. Despite the fact that the odds are stacked against them, we are certainly going to witness a brave and hearty performance from the Swedish side.
Here’s 90min’s preview of Thursday’s clash.
Hammarby vs Man City H2H Record
Last meeting: Man City 2-0 Hammarby (12 November 2024) – UEFA Women’s Champions League
Current form (all competitions)
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Hammarby |
Man City |
|---|---|
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Hammarby 0-2 Man City – 12/11/24 |
Man City 0-2 Chelsea – 16/11/24 |
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Hammarby 2-0 Pitea IF – 09/11/24 |
Man City 2-0 Hammarby – 12/11/24 |
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Hammarby 9-0 Galma Upsala – 06/11/24 |
Man City 4-0 Tottenham – 08/11/24 |
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Hammarby 4-1 Vaxjo DFF- 02/11/24 |
Man City 3-0 Crystal Palace – 03/11/24 |
|
Hammarby 3-2 Rosengard – 20/10/24 |
Man City 2-1 Aston Villa – 20/10/24 |
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Country |
TV Channel/livestream |
|---|---|
|
United Kingdom |
DAZN UK |
|
United States |
DAZN USA |
|
Canada |
DAZN Canada |
Hammarby concluded their 2024 league season last weekend, wrapping up the Damallsvenskan campaign in third place behind Rosengard and BK Hacken.
This means Hammarby can train their focus on the Champions League fixture, also being treated to the luxury of a week off in between the double-header with Man City. This will provide Martin Sjogren with valuable time to reassess last week’s performance against the Cityzens, and best prepare his side for the challenge.
Martin Sjogren made a brave choice with his lineup at the Joie Stadium, choosing to remain headstrong about his attacking philosophy. It won’t look much different on Thursday, as Hammarby must remain brave in order to have any hopes at taking down one of the group’s giants.
Vilde Hasund and Cathinka Tandberg still remain Hammarby’s only two goalscorers in the Champions League so far. Julie Blakstad will face her old club again.
Hammarby predicted lineup vs Man City ( 4-2-3-1 ): Tamminen; Andersson, Nystrom, Carlsson, Lennartsson; Joramo, Miyagawa; Blackstad, Hasund, Wangerheim; Tandberg.
Gareth Taylor made only minor changes to his City side to face Hammarby last week, with young star Laura Blindkilde Brown earning her spot in the starting lineup after opening the scoring.
Changes are expected to be made for the away leg, as City return from a 2-1 defeat against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, marking their first WSL loss during the 2024/25 campaign.
The team remain without Vivianne Miedema and they have been dealt a further blow this week, after it was revealed Lauren Hemp underwent knee surgery and no update had been given on her return.
Defensive duo Laia Aleixandri and Naomi Layzell may be in the running to return on Thursday.
Man City predicted lineup against Hammarby ( 4-3-3 ): Keating; Casparij, Aleixandri, Greenwood, Ouahabi; Hasegawa, Park, Blindkilde Brown; Kelly, Shaw, Fujino.
Hammarby will be eager to put on a brave display in front of the Bajen faithful in order to keep their European hopes alive. This may be to their own detriment, as City will search to exploit their press and get on the scoresheet early on.
The Swedish side had some bright moments against Man City in the away leg, and may well capitalise on those signs in order to nullify City in Stockholm. Though with the international break arriving after the fixture, the Cityzens will likely throw everything into the game in order to solidify their spot at the top of Group D.
It’s likely that City will run away with victory on the occasion, certainly hoping to maintain the distance between themselves and Barcelona ahead of their December meeting.