All you need to know about the Women's League Cup final
Cliftonville are the League Cup holders, whilst Glentoran have not won the competition since 2019
- Published
The first piece of silverware in the women's season is up for grabs on Sunday as Cliftonville face Glentoran in the Women's League Cup final.
The two sides have dominated the Women's Premiership in recent seasons, sharing the last five titles.
Last year, goals from Kirsty McGuinness and Vicky Carleton helped Cliftonville beat Lisburn Rangers 2-0 at Blanchflower Stadium as they clinched the first trophy of a historic treble they would go on to win.
BBC Sport NI takes a look at all you need to know ahead of the much-anticipated decider, which will be the first meeting of the two sides this season.
When is the Women's League Cup final?
The eighth edition of the Women's League Cup final takes place on Sunday, 29 June at Seaview with kick-off at 15:00 BST.
You can follow live text commentary of the decider on the BBC Sport website and app.
How did the two teams get here?
Cliftonville edged past Linfield on their way to topping Group A of the newly revamped League Cup
Holders Cliftonville are looking to win the League Cup for a third successive season having reached their fourth consecutive final.
The Reds topped Group A of the newly revamped League Cup, beginning their campaign with a 6-0 home win over Derry City in April.
Caitlin McGuinness scored a hat-trick while Marissa Callaghan netted twice and Katie Markey also got on the scoresheet.
Substitute Carla Devine then scored a late winner against Linfield as John McGrady's side claimed a 3-2 victory at Midgley Park.
They made it three wins from three with a routine 3-0 victory against Lisburn Ladies at Solitude.
Glentoran will be desperate to win the League Cup, having failed to win this competition since their sole triumph in 2019.
They finished top of Group B and like Cliftonville, enjoyed three victories from their three games.
The Glens thrashed Larne 9-2 in their opening game at Inver Park.
Emily Wilson scored a hat-trick, Mia Moore marked her debut with a double, Rachel Rogan also netted twice whilst Demi Vance and Sophie McKnight scored.
Kim Turner's side then beat Lisburn Rangers 2-0 at Crewe Park before a resounding 6-1 win against Crusaders at Blanchflower, a game in which they had six different goalscorers.
What has their league form been like?
It is early days in the Women's Premiership, but Glentoran and current champions Cliftonville already lead the way.
The Glens top the table with maximum points from their first five games. In an ominous development for the rest of the division, they have scored at least four goals in each fixture.
The standout result was a 6-2 win against rivals Linfield last week, which cemented Turner's side's strong start in their quest to retain the title they lost last season.
Cliftonville won all 16 league games last season on their way to claiming a second title in three years but dropped points on the first day of the new campaign.
They were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw by Linfield at Solitude but bounced back by winning their next three games against Derry City, Lisburn Ladies and Larne.
The Reds are five points behind the Glens with a game in hand, a north Belfast derby against Crusaders at Seaview.
The top two face off at the Blanchflower at the end of July in their first league meeting, with the Reds winning the two league games last season which proved crucial in them claiming the title.
Who are the players to look out for?
Glentoran's Weir and Cliftonville's McGuinness have made good starts to the season in front of goal
Mia Moore has made a fantastic start to the season and life back at Glentoran after making the switch from Crusaders.
She made her first-team debut for the Glens aged 15, before moving to Linfield, where she scored 10 goals in her debut season for the Blues.
The 17-year-old then joined Crusaders last year but suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury which ruled her out for the entirety of the campaign.
The under-19 Northern Ireland international recovered from that long-term injury and has hit the ground running at a youthful Glens side that is spearheaded by Kascie Weir.
The 19-year-old striker is another one to watch having scored on her senior debut for NI and she already has seven goals for the Glens so far this term.
Cliftonville have lost three key players from last year's treble winning side in Danielle Maxwell, Louise McDaniel and Toni-Leigh Finnegan, whilst captain Kelsie Burrows has missed the start of the campaign through injury.
In the absence of so many key players, Caitlin McGuinness has stepped up as skipper and once again shouldered the Reds' goal scoring burden.
McGuinness has reached double digits in the past four seasons and already has three in the league as well as six in cup competitions.
As well as being a prolific goal scorer, the 23-year-old holds the ball up well and brings others into play and is the fulcrum of a young Cliftonville attack.