Tottenham Hotspur Ladies are looking to continue their perfect start to the Women's Super League season when they travel to the King Power Stadium on Sunday to face Leicester Women.
The Foxes, meanwhile, are yet to pick up a single point in their debut campaign in the top flight, currently sitting 10th in the WSL table, above Reading and Birmingham on goal difference.
Match preview
Jonathan Morgan's side need to pick themselves up after disappointment in the FA Cup quarter-finals last time out, when they suffered a heavy defeat against Manchester City on Wednesday.
The Foxes were resilient in the first half of that game and Man City could not break the visitors' defence down, but there was no such problem in the second half for the home team, who went on to score six with no reply from Leicester.
The WSL debutants' results have been gradually getting worse as this season is moving on, and their last outing in the league saw them lose 4-0 at the hands of West Ham United.
That game was all but finished after 45 minutes as the Foxes found themselves 3-0 down at the break, but Morgan can take positives from that game as his team continue to create chances.
Leicester have averaged five shots on target per game in the WSL so far - only Arsenal, Chelsea, Man City and Brighton have a higher average - so looking forward to this weekend's clash with Tottenham, the home side will want to start converting some of their chances to get some points on the board.
Spurs have enjoyed a brilliant start to their campaign, winning three out of three, and they have shown strong defensive traits, only conceding one goal in their first three league matches.
However, on Wednesday Rehanne Skinner's side allowed North London rivals Arsenal to run riot in the FA Cup quarter-final, despite Rachel Williams giving Tottenham an early lead.
The Lilywhites crashed out of the cup after a 5-1 defeat against the Gunners, and they will be hoping that result does not impact on their good form in the league.
Last time out in the league, Tottenham had to wait until the 85th minute before breaking the deadlock against Reading, and it was 21-year-old Jessica Naz who ensured the three points went to Spurs last weekend.
Tottenham have nearly picked up half the amount of points they achieved in the whole of last season, and a win on Sunday will mean that they only need nine more points to better their total from the 2020-21 campaign, so Skinner will be aiming for an improved league position this time around.
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Team News
Morgan made five changes to the Foxes' lineup for their FA Cup clash against Man City, but the midfield unit made up by Molly Pike, Samantha Tierney and Natasha Flint remained the same and they will all retain their places in the starting 11 this weekend.
The Foxes have only managed to score two goals this season, and striker Jessica Sigsworth has not found the back of the net for her new club yet, but she is expected to lead the line for the home side and will be aiming to get off the mark.
Skinner only made two changes to her Spurs lineup for their FA Cup fixture with Arsenal, and the away side are expected to start with the same 11 which defeated Reading last time out in the WSL.
Tottenham will play in a 3-4-3 formation, with Asmita Ale, Molly Bartrip and Shelina Zadorsky operating as the defensive unit, while Naz, Kit Graham and Williams are likely to start as the forward trio.
Ashleigh Neville has been one of the most consistent performers for Tottenham so far this season, and she is certain to start on the left side operating as a wing-back, with Maeva Clemaron doing the same on the other flank.
Leicester Women possible starting lineup:
Levell; McManus, Plumptre, Cain, Barker; Pike, Tierney, Flint; O'Brien, Sigsworth, Bailey-Gayle
Tottenham Hotspur Ladies possible starting lineup:
Spencer; Zadorsky, Bartrip, Ale; Neville, Ubogagu, Percival, Clemaron; Williams, Graham, Naz
We say: Leicester Women 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur Ladies
Despite earning nine points from a possible nine this season, Tottenham have been involved in low-scoring encounters and Leicester will want to use that to their advantage, knowing that they can create chances.
This game could come down to how both teams react after heavy defeats in the FA Cup in midweek, and neither team will want to follow that up with another defeat.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Leicester Women win with a probability of 51.05%. A win for Tottenham Hotspur Ladies had a probability of 26.88% and a draw had a probability of 22.1%.
The most likely scoreline for a Leicester Women win was 2-1 with a probability of 9.44%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-0 (7.17%) and 2-0 (6.95%). The likeliest Tottenham Hotspur Ladies win was 1-2 (6.62%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (9.74%). The actual scoreline of 0-2 was predicted with a 3.4% likelihood.
