Chelsea boss Hayes expecting tough game at 'on the rise' Leicester

Chelsea boss Emma Hayes believes Leicester are a "team on the rise" and is not expecting her Women's Super League leaders to stroll their way to another landslide victory over the Foxes tomorrow.

The Blues have dominated recent meetings against Leicester, outscoring their opponents 37-2 in their last six encounters including a 5-2 win back in November.

However, Hayes is bracing herself for a "tight game" against Willie Kirk's team at the King Power Stadium, where Leicester will be looking to build on a run of four wins from their last five games in all competitions.

Hayes told a press conference: "Willie [Kirk] has done a really good job, the quality he's adding to the team, I think Leicester will be a team on the rise and when you go there every team knows they're going to get a difficult game.

"This is not an easy Leicester side and I think Leicester might feel aggrieved with the goals we've scored against them up there over the years. I expect nothing but an aggressive performance from Leicester, I expect nothing but a tight game."

Hayes, whose four-time reigning WSL champions are above second-placed Manchester City on goals scored, confirmed Fran Kirby could be in contention for the match after the forward left the England camp early last weekend due to a minor knee injury.

Hayes added: "She might be available Sunday, so that shows you where it's at. She wasn't on the pitch [on Friday], I think it's right of me to say that but she could be available for selection on Sunday."

Foxes boss Kirk believes Chelsea are England's top team and hopes to use tomorrow's game as a marker to see how far his seventh-placed side have come.

Kirk said: "They're the best in the country and they've proven that not just last year, not just this year but for four years in a row and trying to make it five.

"We want to use it as a way to see how far we've come. We obviously went down to Kingsmeadow earlier in the season and got turned over 5-2 but we certainly weren't disgraced that day."