The blue and red halves of Manchester will face each other at Leigh Sports Village just a fortnight after City secured a 1-0 FA Women’s Super League derby success at the Academy Stadium thanks to a Caroline Weir wonder strike.
That league fixture attracted a sell-out crowd to the Academy Stadium to further illustrate the growth and popularity of the women’s game.
And City and England full-back Stokes believes that the knockout nature of this weekend’s derby – with both sides knowing defeat would spell the end of their hopes of reaching Wembley - makes the prospect of tackling the red half of Manchester again even more enticing.
“Definitely, you have to be on it. We know the magnitude of the game,” Stokes declared.
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“It’s good and we’ve got to nurture that focus to make sure we’re on it.
“The football Gods seem to like the regular Derbies but that’s what we want: big games and everyone’s looking forward to it.
“People are excited. Ticket sales are going up and for us, the more the merrier! Make sure you come!
“It’s always nice to play in front of packed stadiums.
“(The mood in the camp) is good.
“We’re moving in the right direction: everyone is pulling together, working hard.
“We’ve got big games coming up and it’s important to keep doing the right things.”
Stokes is currently in the midst of international duty with England who are competing in the maiden Arnold Clark Cup tournament.
A crucial preparation event ahead of this summer’s European Championships which are being staged in England, the Lionesses have drawn their opening two fixtures against Canada and Spain.
And for Stokes, the opportunity for Sarina Wiegman’s squad to test their mettle against such high calibre opposition – with a final group fixture against Germany looming on Wednesday - has been a perfect litmus test.
“We’re excited. The Arnold Clark Cup is a really good challenge – hard fixtures against top opposition,” the full-back added.
“These fixtures are where you can show what you’re capable of.
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“Sarina [Wiegman] is watching so it’s important to put in a performance – first and foremost to help the team because that what it’s all about at the end of the day.
“It’s important that you keep yourself ready and injury-free, and in preparation for the Euros, give yourself the best possible chance to be picked and in contention.”
