Ahead of Sunday’s return to SWPL action, manager Fran Alonso says his side will be selected on merit and not with the upcoming three-match week in mind, with further games against Motherwell and Partick Thistle also on the immediate horizon.

Alonso’s side head to New Tinto Park for their second meeting with Glasgow Women this season as the bumper January schedule continues, and despite plenty opportunity for action spread across the full squad, the manager said three points is the main priority.

Speaking to the media ahead of the Glasgow Women match, he said: “We obviously don’t expect players to play 90, 90 and 90 minutes (in one week) - we have to rotate, we have to keep them fresh.

‘Playing for this team is very, very demanding, it’s very difficult and we’re not just giving spots to players.’

“We don’t want to underestimate any opponents, so players are fighting and the team we play on Sunday is the one that deserves to play and the one we think can play the better game and hopefully can guarantee the three points.

“Over three games hopefully we will see most of our players play.”

The Hoops ran out 7-0 winners over the Budhill side back in October, and despite being bottom of the table, the Spaniard believes they are beginning to settle into life in the top flight, and the Hoops won’t look at the match as an opportunity to improve their goal difference.

He said: “They have struggled in the first part of the season but they are more experienced now and they’ve been competing for a few months, but for us it’s about ourselves and if we score, we will go for the next one.

“It’s not different from any other team we play in the league. We are ambitious and want to have big scores and clean sheets and it's no different this Sunday.”

With the restructuring of the league season and the reintroduction of the split, Alonso doesn’t believe goal difference will play the pivotal role it has done in recent years, saying: “I really doubt the league will be decided by goal difference.

“After the split, teams fighting for the league will play each other twice, so I think that’s where the league will be decided.

“I’m not concerned about goal difference at this moment in time, but chance creation and conversion is very important to me.”

Despite Clarissa Larisey’s move to Sweden’s top flight, the manager isn’t concerned about replacing her goals, having just watched eight different players get on the scoresheet in their first outing of the year with the 9-0 win over Falkirk, citing that this season’s spread of goals is something they lacked in 2021/22.

Fran Alonso looking to players who can win the three points