Everton Women vs Leicester City: WSL Match preview

Everton Women will be looking to bounce back from last week’s defeat to Aston Villa when they head to the King Power Stadium this Sunday to take on Leicester City.

Victory over the WSL’s bottom club would be the Toffees first league double on the season and firmly keep the pressure on the Villains, who remain one place ahead of the Blues.

Everton have not lost back-to-back league games so far this season, but face a tough test against Willie Kirk’s side, who will be battling for every point as they seek survival

Brian Sorensen may well ring some changes following last week’s reverse, but Leicester’s physical style may also determining factor in his selection.

The Foxes have the second worst defence in the league, something Everton’s forwards will be keen to exploit. The Blues also boast the meanest defence on the road in the league this season, with just two goals conceded in five games.

Hanna Bennison is available for the trip to the Midlands, but Emily Ramsey remains sidelined with no return date yet known.

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The Opposition

A surprise 1-0 win away at Liverpool in February has given Leicester real hope of WSL survival that had previously looked unlikely. It took Kirk’s team until January to register a first league win of the season, but they are in touching distance of Brighton & Hove Albion and will be fighting for every single point available.

Leicester are yet to win a single point when going behind in the WSL, and with only seven league goals scored all season, the Foxes will be looking to try and keep this tight and restrict Everton’s width while keeping a close eye on the Toffees’ set piece prowess.

Sam Tierney tops the team’s scoring charts with three goals, but it’s the resurgence of Hannah Cain that will be giving her team real hope they can pull off a result this Sunday which will go a long way to ensuring that Leicester are playing WSL football next season.

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Previous Meeting

Everton have never lost to Leicester in the six meetings between the two sides, a record they will hope will still stand after the weekend.

Bennison was the provider for Simone Magill to settle matters late in this fixture last season as the Blues would go on to complete a league double last season over the Foxes. The Swedish international also thought she’d settled matters this season at Walton Hall Park, only for the goal to be credited as a Kirsty Levell own goal after the stopper palmed the ball into her own net from midfielder’s free kick deep into stoppage time.

The goal was a cruel blow for Leicester, who had more than just made up the numbers in the fixture and had frustrated Everton while carving out a few chances of their own.

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