Everton Women vs Tottenham Hotspur: FA WSL Match Preview

Everton Women will head into Wednesday night’s clash with Tottenham Hotspur in the knowledge that a win will lift Brian Sorensen’s team into the top six ahead of the winter break.

Clare Wheeler and Izzy Christiansen are both back from injury and available for selection for the fixture that was postponed in November. Katrine Veje and Elise Stenevik are also back in training but it is uncertain if they will be risked.

Megan Finnigan’s rehabilitation is on track, but all three won’t be in contention for the trip to Brisbane Road.

Photo by Cameron Smith/Getty Images

Without a league win since October, Everton have endured a tough run in the WSL, including meeting three of the league’s top four in the last three fixtures. With a gap opening up between the leading quartet and the rest, Sorensen has highlighted the importance of performances against the league’s best.

“We’ve had a tough three games, playing three of the top of four and I was happy with two of the games,” he said. “[Manchester] City and Arsenal, we did ok, United we were not happy with the performance.

“When you play these teams, it is not easy to get three points, or even one point, so you look at the performance, and I think we are taking a step in the right direction.”

With Spurs are in a similar position to Everton and having similar ambitions for the season, Sorensen sees a tough match ahead against Rehanne Skinner’s side, but one he looking forward to.

“They look good, we have played them in pre-season and they are well organised,” continued the Blues boss.

“We know that they will be hungry to get back on track but we will be ready for them and are looking forward to it.

“Hopefully we can play our football and get the win.”

The Opposition

Also winless in the league since October, Skinner’s side will be just as desperate to claim the three points as their visitors. Finding the net has been a recent problem for the Londoners, with the last trio of league fixtures also yielding no goals.

When they have scored though, Spurs have ran riot, putting eight past Brighton & Hove Albion without reply. Defender Ashleigh Neville leads the scoring charts for her team with four, followed next by Drew Spence with three.

With neither team prolific scorers (Brighton fixture aside) or possessing that free-scoring No.9 in their ranks, the hosts may well require the creativity of Eveliina Summanen. The Finnish international has four assists to her credit this season and possesses a flair for unlocking defensive backlines.

Previous Meeting

Jessica Naz’s superb effort into the top-right corner proved the difference in last season’s fixture, in what Spurs’ first success against the Blues in the league.

Anna Anvegard hit the post for Everton in a hard-fought fixture that saw Christiansen limp off late on.

Sorensen will be hoping to avoid both defeat and more injury this time around, although he can probably expect another tough test in the capital.

FA Cup Draw

Everton will begin their Vitality Women’s FA Cup campaign at home to Birmingham City or Huddersfield Town in the fourth round.

The tie will take place on Sunday, 8 January, 2023.

The competition has great memories for the Blues, whose last triumph came when they ended Arsenal’s monopolisation of the trophy in 2010 with a 3-2 win after extra time.

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