It’s a battle between the top two at the Etihad Stadium, with kick-off set for 14:30 (UK).
City come into the game with a nine-point advantage, but Chelsea have come out on top in both the reverse WSL fixture in September and our League Cup semi-final clash earlier this month.
But Knaak insists she and her team-mates know we have what it takes to pick up what would be a huge three points this weekend.
She said: “We still try to go with the flow if that makes sense. We know this is a big game and that it’ll be a big challenge, but at the same time we want to focus on every game the same.
“We want to focus more on us, and leading into the game week of Chelsea, we just need to continue doing what we’ve done well so far. That’ll be our main focus.
“Of course, we’ll prepare for them but in the end it’s about us. If we bring our best performance on the pitch, we know we can beat them.
“In this environment we’re working every day for this goal, so it’s not really that hard to block the noise because we know what we’re focusing on.
“It doesn’t matter if you come in after a game that was great or not, we know we always have work to do, and that’s made us very strong.”
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Knaak opened the scoring in our last Etihad fixture, which saw City beat Manchester United 3-0 in the WSL back in November.
The Germany international says that rampant victory, which saw Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw and Lauren Hemp also on target before half-time, was a major confidence boost for the squad.
Knaak says matches of this magnitude, such as Sunday’s clash with Chelsea, bring that little bit extra out of the best players.
Speaking about the United win, she said: “I think that game really helped us gain confidence.
“We’d kind of worked ourselves into the season. We knew it wasn’t an easy start, but we worked and developed ourselves and you could see the growth over the season.
“And that game at the Etihad game us a boost. It really made us feel like we’re here, we’re good, strong and confident. We definitely take a lot of positive things from that game.
“I love that these games bring some extra percentage, every game is as important as the next, but with these atmospheres and pressure on the games, I do feel it brings out maybe a tiny bit more.
“They come with more pressure and more to lose, but also more to win.”
Last chance to get City v Chelsea tickets
Our WSL clash with Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium is rapidly approaching, with Under-16s able to attend for just £5!
A meeting between the WSL’s top two, it’s one of the most hotly anticipated fixtures of the season and gets under way at 14:30 (UK) on Sunday 1 February.
Our last Etihad fixture more than delivered, with City beating Manchester United 3-0 in November, so make sure you don’t miss out this time!
Tickets are available from just £5 for Under-16s, with Adults starting from £15, or you can save your spot in our Kits Bar for an incredible £35 per adult and £20 for Under-16s.
If you make a group booking, you’ll also be automatically entered into our competition to win fantastic prizes, such as being part of the team photo at the Etihad or enjoying our ‘Blue Carpet Experience’ at the game.
Or make it an afternoon to remember with hospitality packages starting from just £35 per person and a wide range of experiences available to suit your budget.
Make sure you don’t miss our final WSL Etihad match of this season!
