Monday, December 16, 2024

Game of the weekend: Rangers v Glasgow City

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No prizes for guessing the game of the weekend.

As Rangers and Glasgow City prepare to meet in a top-of-the-table clash, former Scotland captain Gemma Fay believes this season’s SWPL is “wide open”.

Reigning champions Celtic are already five points between leaders Rangers, but do have a game in hand, while Hearts are keeping pace with the ‘big three’ in third.

City make the short trip to Ibrox on Saturday to take on Jo Potter’s unbeaten side having just suffered one defeat themselves, back on matchday two against Celtic.

Since then, Leanne Ross’ team have rediscovered their groove, or as Fay put it on the BBC’s Scottish Football Podcast, they’ve “reinvented themselves… again”.

It’s what former serial winners City have to do to keep up with the big-spending Old Firm. Celtic have excelled in cherry-picking the best from the rest in the league – Shannon McGregor from Hibs, Emma Lawton from Partick Thistle and Morgan Cross from Motherwell – while Potter picks up the phone to her old pals south of the border.

Katie Wilkinson is undoubtedly one of, if not the, signing of the season. With 18 league goals by the first week in October, she’s already proved her worth and then some. Not only against wounded animals, but she scored what proved to be a crucial penalty in the draw with Celtic and broke the deadlock against stubborn Motherwell last weekend.

That’s what City have lacked. They’ve not had that out-and-out goalscorer who will net 18 in a season, never mind by the October holidays.

But with Brenna Lovera continuing her comeback from a horror torn Achilles injury, Ibrox would be the perfect stage to shoot City right into the heart of the champions conversation.

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