Leicester City's FA Women's Championship campaign gets underway on Sunday afternoon when they welcome Blackburn Rovers to Farley Way.

The contest will be the Foxes' first game since turning professional last month.

Jonathan Morgan's side welcomes Rovers to Quorn looking to kickstart their season in perfect fashion.

Team news

Ahead of the clash on Sunday, Morgan has confirmed that Ruesha Littlejohn will be available after recovering from an achilles injury she picked up in the summer.

Speaking to LCFC TV, Morgan said: "We're very pleased with our fitness this season. 

"We came into pre-season knowing that we had a couple of girls that had injuries to start with.

"Ruesha [Littlejohn] picked up an Achilles injury this summer, but she's back fully-fit, which is a fantastic boost. It was more about a management of loading for her which is ettled now.

However, Ashleigh Plumpotre (foot) and Hannah Cain (toe) look set to miss out.

"Ashleigh came in with a tendon injury in her foot.

"It's a bio-mechanical injury, so there's nothing wrong as such, it's just about correcting her structure and we're on the right path with that."

Speaking about Cain's injury, he said: "She came in with a broken toe, so she won't be back anytime soon, but that was a big step (her operation).

"Apart from them, we expect to have a fully-fit squad for Blackburn."

Previous meetings

Last season, the two sides only met once due to the early end to the season. 

Back in December 2019, an own goal and a Lunchante Paul second-half strike handed the Foxes all three points to end Rovers' three-match unbeaten streak.

One to watch

Making the move from West Ham United, Esmee De Graaf will be looking to kickstart her Foxes career in fine fashion on Sunday.

The defender was born in Baarn, Netherlands and started her career for PEC Zwolle.

In three seasons in her home country, she scored 21 times in 74 games. During her time there, she was handed the captain's armband before moving to the Hammers.

De Graaf spent two years in London, scoring only one goal. 

She earned her first cap for her nation in February 2018, replacing Shanice van de Sanden in a 6-2 victory over Japan in the Algarve Cup.

The strong and powerful defender will be vital in the Foxes earning promotion to the Barclays FA Women's Super League.

Incomings at City

Morgan has added a number of new signings ahead of the 2020/21 campaign. 

Kirstie Levell has joined The Foxes to compete with Demi Lambourne between the sticks.

German-born defender Sophie Howard and former-Doncaster Belles Sam Tierney have arrived in defence.

Netherlands international De Graaf made the switch from West Ham, whilst Sophie Barker left Doncaster for the Foxes.

After beginning her career in 2006, Ruesha Littlejohn has moved to the East Midlands side after previously playing for Celtic, London Bees, Glasgow City and IL Sandviken.

The Republic of Ireland international has made 54 appearances for her country, scoring six goals.

Forward Natasha Flint has also joined after previously playing for Manchester City and Rovers.

The latest recruit is Liv Fergusson, who previously played for Sheffield United, Aston Villa, Bristol City and Yeovil Town.

The opponents

After the 2019/20 season was cut short, Gemma Donnelly has acted swiftly in securing players for next year.

Captain Saffron Jordan, Ellie Stewart, Natasha Fenton, Kayleigh McDonald and Chelsey Jukes all signed contract extensions ahead of the new season.

Donnelly also added three goalkeepers to the ranks over the summer, with Emma Bradley, Alex Brooks and Fran Bentley competing for the number one shirt.

After spending last season on loan at Huddersfield Town, Charlotte Newsham has returned to Irongate whilst Emma Doyle and Isobel Dean have signed contracts at the club.

After pre-season fixtures against Durham and Liverpool, Rovers suffered a defeat at Manchester United last month.