Cushing provides Knaak and Fujino League Cup final update | OneFootball

Interim Head Coach Nick Cushing says Rebecca Knaak will not be available for Sunday’s Subway League Cup final against Chelsea, but Aoba Fujino is in line to return to the matchday squad.

Aoba Fujino was absent from City’s most recent outing which saw us beat Aston Villa 2-0 in the FA Cup.

The Japan international suffered from foot pain following our 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur but is now ready and fit and looking to win her first trophy with the Club since joining in the summer.

Knaak, who made her senior debut for Germany last month, is not fit for Saturday’s game after sustaining a hamstring injury while on international duty.

MATCH PREVIEW | CHELSEA V CITY - SUBWAY LEAGUE CUP FINAL

Long-term injuries to Alex Greenwood and Lauren Hemp mean they will also not be available for our cup clash, but are both moving closer to a return to action.

“Rebecca [Knaak] won’t be fit but Aoba [Fujino] will be,” began Cushing.

“Everyone’s available bar the long term, Lauren Hemp [and] Alex Greenwood [are] both out. All the team are on the pitch.

“I don’t know the complete details [of Hemp and Greenwood’s injuries], but I think they have a desire before the end of the season [to be back playing] but I’m not confirming that.

“Alex is on the grass, which is a huge positive. Lauren has a huge desire to be in the team before the end of the season, but we just have to trust our medical staff.”

WATCH: Chelsea v City: Our Subway League Cup final awaits...

It’s our first of four games against league leaders Chelsea, starting with a 12:15 (UK) clash at Pride Park.

Since Cushing’s departure in 2020, City’s squad has seen a plethora of talent come through the door.

And after spending the week with the team, Cushing expressed his delight in the expertise he has on hand for Saturday’s tie and his return to the women’s game.

“I’m obsessed with the game, and love how competitive the WSL is,” said Cushing.

“In the US it’s [the WSL] on Paramount and I watch the NWSL as well. I’ve followed the women’s [team] alongside the men’s, to me it’s just watching football.

“Aoba’s been top this year, Mary Fowler, Jess Park, [Khadija] Bunny Shaw, our attacking players we have a real threat.

“The most difficult part of my job is picking the blend and balance of Jill [Roord], Viv [Miedema], Aoba, Jess, Mary.

“Kerolin’s really impressed me. It’s about blending and balancing a front line that will cause a threat with a slight eye on the UWCL as well.

“The good thing is I have a top group of staff filling in the gaps I might not know about personalities and who can do two games in a week.

“They’ve worked incredibly hard over the last few days to help me and I appreciate that.”

CHELSEA V CITY APP COVERAGE

As always, you can follow Saturday's League Cup final on the official Man City app.

Our Matchday Centre coverage will get under way from 10:45 (UK), providing you with all the pre-match build-up, stats and analysis before live text and audio commentary from kick-off.

A special Matchday Live show, featuring special guests Karen Bardsley, Toni Duggan and Steve Howey, will also get under way from 11:10 to offer a City-centric feel to your match experience.

From kick-off, Nick Walsh and Karen Bardsley will call the action from the commentary box while our text updates continue. Make sure you have push notifications turned on so you get live updates as they happen via our app.

After the final whistle, a detailed match report plus reaction from both interim Head Coach Cushing and the players will then be available to view.

Highlights from the final, plus a CITY+ full-match replay, will also be made available four hours after full-time on Saturday.