Powell: The gap is getting smaller

Head Coach Hope Powell is wary of the challenge Championship side Crystal Palace will pose when Albion meet them in the FA Cup on Tuesday night.

James Hilsum

2020-02-25T07:00:00Z

Hope Powell speaks to the media ahead of Tuesday's game.

Powell highlighted Leicester City’s FA Cup win over Reading as an example of the closing gap between the Super League and Championship, and expects Palace to relish their underdog tag.

She said, “I think the gap is closing and the investment at Championship level is growing. You see that when you look at clubs like Leicester and Aston Villa.

“If you’re the underdogs, then you tend to relax in your play when you have nothing to lose. Palace are not expected to win and will just go for it.

“So we know it will be challenging, gritty and a bit of a dogfight. The expectation is that we will win because we are the WSL team, but the beauty of the FA Cup is that results like Leicester’s win over Reading can happen.

“We have to be prepared and on our game, and we certainly can’t take anything for granted. We want to be in the cup for as long as possible, but the first hurdle is Palace.”

It is Albion's second game in the space of three days, and Powell is looking at rotating her squad and giving players some game time.

"The priority for us is not the FA Cup and while we want to be in it, the league will always take precedence," said Powell. “With that in mind, we’ll try and give some players some minutes.”

Powell has assessed Crystal Palace’s strengths and highlighted two players that could make a big impact on Tuesday.

She said, “They have improved a lot and made some good signings. [Bianca] Baptiste, who was at Tottenham, has come in and was a very good player for them when we faced each other in what was then the WSL2.

“She was a real threat and they’ve also got Siobhan [Wilson], who was on trial with us, and is technically very good.

“We have to be ready for a tough contest.”