The Blues make the long journey north looking to put an end to United’s 100 per cent record in the league, while hoping to extend our own winning streak to eight matches in all competitions before the players head off on international duty.

We make the trip to Leigh Sports Village sitting third in the WSL table with 15 points, level with United who lead the way. It’s a heavyweight clash between two in-form title challengers who will be vying to claim all three points on the night.

Ahead of the match, Sophie Ingle reflected on a busy period of games during October, which we have come through in fine fashion. The central midfielder is pleased with our results and stressed the importance of consistency.

‘It’s been a busy few weeks with games and travel, we’ve had a few away games in a row but we’ve got the results we aimed to get. Now, it’s just about maintaining that and to keep building on the momentum we have.’

Taking on Man United away from home is never an easy assignment. Ingle praised the team for their versatility and ability to adapt to various in-game situations and believes that putting theory into practice will be crucial.

‘It’s just sticking to the game plan. We’ve done that the last couple of games and it’s worked really well for us. If we’ve had to adapt during the game, then we have. It’s about recognising what’s needed in that moment of the game. It’s going to be a tough game against United. They’re unbeaten at the moment this year and they’re always a tough team to play against.’

This is a match between two teams competing for the league title this season, but Ingle says it is no more important than any other game, recognising the task at hand but also embracing the challenge ahead.

‘Every game is important. Going away from home is always tough because you haven’t got that home crowd with you. United is not an easy place to go. They’re doing really well at the minute and it’s going to be a really big fight.’

For the first time since the last international break, the players had one week to prepare for the match against United. Ingle believes the extra preparation time has helped the team to focus on the finer details in the build-up.

‘It’s really important. We’ve had a lot of games in a short space of time. This week we’ve had a fair few training sessions where we could actually work on things ready for the game on Sunday. In the previous weeks, we’ve had a midweek game so it’s been a quick turnaround, so that helps us focus on the detail we need to get right on Sunday.’