Gareth Taylor says Manchester City are in good shape as they prepare to return to Women's Super League action on Saturday.

Boss Taylor, 50, guided City to a 7-0 win over Tottenham in their last game before the international break and insists his players are ready to host Aston Villa.

A win for City would see them leapfrog Arsenal — who host Chelsea on Sunday – into second and go three points behind Emma Hayes' league leaders.

Taylor said: "It's straight back into it for them. We have a short period and a short timeframe before we play on Saturday.

"Normally we get an extra day by playing on Sunday, so it's good we're at home because it helps us logistically. That short timeframe becomes very important and how you work that."

Several of Taylor's players were part of the England squad that thrashed Scotland 6-0 on Tuesday night.

Despite the one-sided scoreline, the Lionesses missed out on qualification to the Women's Nations League finals and 2024 Olympics in Paris on goal difference but Taylor is hopeful his compatriots can quickly put the disappointment behind them.

He added: "In terms of the atmosphere and the way the girls have come back in, everything looks positive. 

"I spoke to Sarina [Wiegman] earlier today. I didn't know what was going on, it was very tough to watch. They did what they had to do with an emphatic scoreline.

"Speaking to her, it was a positive on the back of a negative. Obviously we're not going to the Olympics but that's football. 

"I thought Esme [Morgan] at centre-back did well and having that familiarity with Alex Greenwood would have helped her. She's a top prospect with great attributes."

Only Chelsea have scored more goals than City in the WSL this season and they will be hoping to pile more misery on Villa who are just two points clear of bottom-placed Bristol City.