rewrite this content and keep HTML tags
Manchester City’s interim head coach Nick Cushing says that the pressure is on opponents Manchester United going into this afternoon’s Adobe Women’s FA Cup semi-final tie at The Joie Stadium.
The Adobe Women’s FA Cup is the final piece of silverware that The Cityzens can win this season. They recently lost the Subway Women’s League Cup final and exited the UEFA Women’s Champions League while their European qualification hopes look slim.
When speaking to the media ahead of this afternoon’s Adobe Women’s FA Cup semi-final showdown against Manchester United, Cushing said that The Red Devils go into the game as favourites and that the pressure is very much on them to succeed.
“It’s a home game and we should play to win, expect to win and have a huge desire to win regardless of who we play at home,” Cushing said. “We are going to play in-front of our fans, there will be a lot of people here and it’ll be a great occasion. We are the only team to have beaten the champions elect in the Champions League and that was at this stadium, so we have to take huge confidence from that.
“We know Manchester United will be an incredibly difficult game. Marc [Skinner] has done a really good job. You look at their defensive record, you look at the position that they’re in, you look at the form that they’ve got; arguably they’re in better form than us, so they’re favourites for the game. They’re the team in the Champions League spot, so they’ve got everything to lose.
“With all of these injuries, with everyone writing us off, with us going out of the Champions League, we’ve just got no pressure. We’ve just got to play. It’s a game where we have to perform in-front of our fans for ourselves.”
In the time since Cushing last contested a Manchester derby, Manchester United have further established themselves as a major force in the professional game. Cushing has respect for The Red Devils and their head coach Marc Skinner.
He said “From my experience, it’s unique that Manchester United are coming here above us in the league, as the holders of the trophy. I didn’t experience that, although I thought that Casey [Stoney] was doing a top job when I was competing against Manchester United.
“They’re Manchester United and they expect to win trophies. I have huge respect for Marc, I did when he was the Birmingham City manager and when he went out to Orlando, he did a top job. He’s a high-level coach and I expect a really difficult game.
“My expectation is that I want to win trophies with Manchester City. I expect a difficult game but I have a huge desire to progress.”
Manchester City’s Adobe Women’s FA Cup semi-final tie against Manchester United kicks-off at 3pm this afternoon.
