Fifth-placed Everton travel to title-chasing Manchester City on Sunday (2pm GMT) aiming to build on an impressive 3-2 victory at Tottenham Hotspur last time out. Read the key points from Blues boss Willie Kirk's pre-match press conference below...

Kirk on team news for City clash…

Jill [Scott] is unavailable as she is coming up against her parent club. She has started the past few games so there is an opportunity for somebody else. One of the players missed training today [Friday] due to some tightness on her hamstring. She will be assessed but I expect her to come through and be available, so we should have a fully-fit squad to choose from. I’m confident everyone will be available.

On maintaining momentum after the win at Tottenham…

I feel our performances are getting better and better. I actually think our performance against Reading [a 1-1 draw the previous week] was better than against Spurs – but last week we got the goals and that’s what was lacking from the Reading display. We created a lot of good chances last week. I think Val [Gauvin] had seven efforts on goal and had a couple of headers that went very close. We’ve taken confidence from that result.

On Gabby George’s injury comeback against Spurs….

We used last week as a way to get her on and protect [fellow centre-back] Meg Finnigan, who was one booking away from getting a suspension, so it was about getting her through the first half and trying to get Gabby on the pitch. We knew Meg would be really important for the Man City game. It was huge for Gabby to get on the pitch and it's huge for us to have another centre-back option. All in all, it was a good Sunday. Physically, she is doing great. We took her out of the games today in training because she is nursing a dead leg. That came from a very robust challenge on Wednesday in training. But she is buzzing at the moment. She is in contention for the Man City game.

On the test City will provide…

They’ve had a good couple of months. They’re in really good form. They’re a top, top team with a lot of good players. We’ve played them a number of times and we know what they’re all about. They have got great technicians on the pitch. If you’re waiting for them to make a mistake, you could be waiting a long time. They have got great attacking threat and variation in their attacks. We are very aware of some of the patterns they try to play. But it’s one thing knowing the patterns and it’s another trying to stop them. They are a formidable force but we keep speaking about taking points off the top teams and it’s another opportunity to do that at the weekend.

On the importance of Everton believing they can beat City…

We look for that almost to be controlled from within [the squad]. We’ve got some fantastic experience in that changing room now and we want them to stoke each other’s belief and each other’s fires. There is only so much I can say and so much control I can have. I always feel it’s more powerful when it comes from within that changing room. Although Jill [Scott] is not available for the game, she has played a big part this week in preparing the players properly. That is though making sure her training performances are good and ensuring the players are aware of the task they are faced with. There is belief in the group. We only need to look at the FA Cup final and how closely we ran them to have belief. There is a real determination in the team, too, to try to take points off the top teams.

On Jill Scott being nominated for the WSL Player of the Month prize….

What a moment she is in. Winning her 150th England cap, then scoring the winning goal against Spurs. Then to get a nomination for Player of the Month tops it off. It’s just a shame she won’t be available this weekend [because she is on loan from City]. I’d love to take on City with Jill in the team.

On Izzy Christiansen’s impact since returning to Everton last year…

I’ve loved every day working with Izzy since she has come in. It doesn’t matter if she has been injured or not. She has always managed to add something to the group. It’s great to work with her. She challenges you as a coach and she challenges her teammates. She has very high standards. She had got a daily standard that is very, very high and I think that is contagious. It rubs off on people. She is very important for any future success this club get.

On Abbey-Leigh Stringer fighting her way into the team and competition for midfield places…

It’s been really tough for the midfielders. They have all had to show real resilience and wait for opportunities. We have so much competition there. You only need to look at the fact the team captain, Lucy Graham, has been on the bench for three games in a row. Every single one of the midfielders, it doesn’t matter if it is Abbey, Lucy or Maeva [Clemaron] – they have always had to put the team first and all of them have done that. Abbey has got different attributes to the others. The way she can switch the play is fantastic. She has got a physical presence and aggression to her game, which is important. She is constantly been fighting her way into the team since I arrived. She had a tough couple of months when I first came in and we had an honest and frank discussion. I’m delighted she’s still here. She wasn’t on a three-year contract, she’s on new contract she earned since I’ve been here. I appreciate how important she is to the team. She is one that has to continue to build her self-confidence and believe in herself. She is a very important player for this squad and will continue to be so.