FA WSL Preview: Everton Women vs Tottenham | Toffees look to buzz at the Hive

Everton face fellow WSL side Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, January 24th at 9:30 a.m. ET/2:30 p.m. BST, with the game being played at The Hive Stadium. This will be Everton’s second game of the new year.

What should have been Everton’s third contest of the season is now the second — Wednesday’s match against Birmingham City was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch. And while Wednesday’s postponement robbed fans of what surely would have been an entertaining affair, it gives Everton more time to recover and train ahead of the Tottenham fixture.

After ten games, Everton sit in fifth place with 17 points and 21 goals scored (2.1 per game). With an equal number of matches played, Spurs are two spots behind the Toffees in seventh with 12 points. If the WSL were divided into three tiers, Everton and Tottenham would find themselves in the second level, with the Toffees being the “best of the rest” and Spurs a highly competitive side.

Everton’s lone game of 2021 was a 4–0 drubbing of Bristol City; Tottenham, meanwhile, dispatched West Ham 1–0 in a hard-fought London derby last weekend.

With central defensive midfielder Damaris Egurrola signing for Olympique Lyonnais this week, Everton were keen to bring in support at the six spot — enter, Jill Scott. The England international was signed on loan from Manchester City through the end of the season. Scott, who spent seven years on Merseyside (2006-2013), is likely to start against Tottenham this weekend. She will be the team’s engine on the pitch along with Izzy Christiansen and Lucy Graham, while Hayley Raso, Nicoline Sørensen and recently-returned-from-injury Valérie Gauvin go to work up front.

For the London outfit, look for a defiant defensive corps led by Becky Spencer in net, Hannah Godfrey and Shelina Zadorsky at center-back and Alanna Kennedy and Josie Green in midfield. Even after losing USWNT star Alex Morgan, Spurs still can call upon Rosella Ayane, Gemma Davison and Rianna Dean to pace the attack.

Last Meeting

Coincidentally, the last time these two sides met was September 13, each team’s second game of the season. In early September, Everton defeated Tottenham by a slim margin of 1–0, courtesy of a Christiansen header. As the two clubs square off on what figures to be a bitter and frigid day in London, a tactical and cagey match should be expected.

Match Details

Competition: FA Women’s Super League

Date and start time: Sunday, January 24th at 9:30 a.m. ET / 2:30 p.m. BST

Stadium: The Hive Stadium, London, England, United Kingdom

Capacity: 6,500 (behind closed doors)

How to Watch/Listen

TV & Radio: N/A

Match Center: evertontv

Live stream: evertontv (free for members, registration required), FA WSL (free, registration required)

Lineup