Smith insists Bristol do not fear Man City as Robins face latest WSL test

Bristol City manager Lauren Smith says her side are not daunted by their trip to Manchester City this weekend.

The newly-promoted Robins lost their first two Women's Super League games of the season to Leicester and Tottenham, while the Citizens go into Sunday's fixture on the back of a win over West Ham and a hard-fought 1-1 draw with champions Chelsea.

But Smith believes her team will be prepared for the stern examination having faced Gareth Taylor's side twice last season.

She said: "It doesn't feel a fearful task because they're a team we seem to come up against quite often.

"So I think that fear factor goes away in terms of travelling up there.

"But they're a phenomenal team. The players they've got and the problems they create, it's something myself and the staff have obviously looked at.

"Hopefully we can solve the problems but everything is an opportunity for us right now, we want to make sure we do things well and the team is together with that mindset."

Smith is aware Bristol will spend periods of the match on the back foot but was keen to highlight her side's ability to create chances.

She explained: "When we played City in pre-season, we created chances.

"I don't think this is going to be a game where we just sit back and look to get rid of the ball.

"We still want to try and cause problems [in attack], because if we don't start challenging the top teams it's going to be a really long season for us.

"So we will see what our opportunities in the game are and take things one step at a time.

"But we still have to be realistic with our game plan — and defending the box has been a key part of what we've been doing over the last few weeks and in pre-season."

Smith confirmed Bristol will be without first-choice goalkeeper Fran Bentley for a spell through injury but is confident the stopper will be available before the end of the year.