Manchester City boss Nick Cushing has confirmed that his side will be without Khadija Shaw and Aoba Fujino for their Champions League quarterfinal first leg against Chelsea.
City and Chelsea are set to face each other four times in the matter of 12 days across three competitions. The first instalment of this marathon run saw the two sides face off in the Subway Cup final, with Chelsea running out as winners.
Shaw and Fujino both started the final at Pride Park, where the Japan international scored a stunning goal to bring City level in the second half after Chelsea’s early strike. However, Yui Hasegawa‘s own-goal saw Chelsea claim the first piece of silverware of the season.
Shaw was a constant thorn in Chelsea’s defence on Saturday but limped off injured in the closing stages of the match.
“Bunny Shaw came out, and she will be unavailable. Aoba is unavailable too,” Cushing told a news conference on Tuesday.
“They’re two significant players that are missing [but] these moments give opportunities for other players.
“Both of them are muscle injuries. It’s going to take a few days to diagnose how long. I think they’re significant, but will leave it with the medical team.”
The Subway Cup triumph ticked off one of a possible four trophies Chelsea can win this season. They are eight points clear at the top of the Women’s Super League, into the semifinals of the FA Cup and are strong favourites to win the Champions League this year.
But Cushing isn’t daunted by the strength of the opposition, and said he took encouragement from his side’s showing in the cup final.
“You look at the game, we competed really well,” he said.
“I asked for a certain type of football without the ball. I said to the group that’s enough confirmation that you can compete with the best team in the league.
“The performance is there and the game is even despite one team being clear in the league. Go and play with no fear.
“I always say to my team ‘attack the opportunity, don’t fear the outcome or the consequence. Just play.’
“It’s a Champions League quarterfinal and our home leg. We have to play the game to win.”
