Tottenham Hotspur Ladies will have the chance to claim a fifth consecutive victory in all competitions when they welcome Everton Ladies to Brisbane Road on Sunday.
While Spurs have experienced a fine start to the season, Everton have struggled to find their best form, having lost four of their five competitive games.
Match preview
© Reuters
Tottenham boss Robert Vilahamn, who succeeded Rehanne Skinner in the summer, has enjoyed an impressive start to his tenure, overseeing four victories and just one defeat in his opening five matches.
After beginning the campaign with a narrow 2-1 loss to London rivals Chelsea, Spurs got up and running with victories over Bristol City and Reading in the WSL and League Cup respectively.
They came from behind to beat Brighton & Hove Albion in their third league game, before they fought back once again to get the better of Aston Villa in their most recent outing
While Rachel Daly gave the Villans an early lead, Tottenham stamped their authority on the contest courtesy of a Martha Thomas hat-trick and an Ashleigh Neville effort, before Lucy Parker pulled a goal back in stoppage time.
As a result of that 4-2 victory, Tottenham went into the international break in third position and one point adrift of the top two, and they will be hoping to build more momentum on Sunday as they look to maintain their 100% home record.
© Reuters
After guiding Everton to a top-half finish last term, Brian Sorensen has experienced a difficult start to his second season as Toffees boss.
The campaign began with league defeats to Brighton and Leicester City, before they were beaten 2-1 by Manchester City in their first group game of the League Cup.
Everton looked to have turned a corner when a Megan Finnigan effort guided them to a 1-0 victory over local rivals Liverpool in the Merseyside derby.
However, they were brought quickly down to earth by a heavy 5-0 defeat to Manchester United in their final outing before the international break.
While that result suggests that the Toffees need to tighten up defensively, they also need to improve in the final third, having mustered just two league goals this season, making them the lowest scorers in the WSL.
- L
- W
- W
- W
- W
- L
- L
- L
- W
- L
Team News
© Reuters
Tottenham captain Beth England continues her recovery following hip surgery, while Ellie Brazil is rehabilitating from an anterior cruciate ligament.
After dropping out of the lineup for the win over Aston Villa, Drew Spence could be recalled to the side for Sunday's home clash.
Thomas, who joined Spurs from Man United in the summer, will want to continue her impressive form after registering seven goals in five competitive appearances for the North London club.
As for the visitors, Sorensen revealed that Nathalie Bjorn has picked up a hamstring injury, which will keep her out of Sunday's contest.
With Bjorn unavailable for the weekend, Megan Campbell could be brought into the side to feature in a back three alongside Katrine Veje and Finnigan.
Martina Piemonte returned from injury to appear as a substitute against Man United before the international break, and the Italian striker is in contention to make her third start of the season.
Tottenham Hotspur Ladies possible starting lineup:
Spencer; James, Buhler, Bartrip, Neville; Ahtinen, Spence, Summanen; Bizet, Clinton, Thomas
Everton Ladies possible starting lineup:
Brosnan; Finnigan, Campbell, Veje; Payne, Vanhaevermaet, Galli, Wheeler; Sorensen; Piemonte, Snoeijs
We say: Tottenham Hotspur Ladies 2-1 Everton Ladies
Having won their last three league games, Spurs will head into Sunday's encounter in a confident mood, and we think that they continue their winning run against an Everton side who have lost four of their five competitive matches.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
