WSL preview: Albion face Spurs at The Amex

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Melissa Phillips's team get their first run out at The Amex of the new WSL season.

Ella Stennett

2023-10-14T06:00:00Z

Melissa Phillips's team warmed up for Sunday's game with a comfortable 3-0 win over Birmingham in the Conti Cup on Wednesday.

Albion Women are in action at The Amex on Sunday as they take on Tottenham Hotspur, kick-off 4pm.

View from the bench

The Conti Cup campaign began with victory for Albion as they cruised to a 3-0 win at St Andrew's on Wednesday night. Charlie Rule scored her first goal for the club, while substitutes Katie Robinson and Elisabeth Terland also got on the scoresheet.

Speaking about the upcoming match on Sunday, head coach Melissa Phillips said, “We’re looking forward to testing ourselves against Spurs. Having faced them in the pre-season game, we know a little of what to expect. They are an exciting, high-energy attacking team and definitely have areas which can be exploited.

“Coming off the back of the Conti Cup game and WSL match against West Ham, the team know areas they need to focus on and areas they need to exploit.”

Past meetings

The two teams met twice last season in the Women’s Super League. The first clash resulted in an 8-0 victory for Spurs. Their most recent WSL encounter in April resulted in a 2-2 draw, with Terland and Lee both scoring.

This September saw a friendly between the two sides, which finished in a goalless draw.

Player to watch

Martha Thomas, joint-top scorer for Scotland at international level with 11 goals, has been a crucial player for Spurs in recent WSL matches. The 27-year-old striker signed a new contract with the club this September and scored an impressive goal against Chelsea on the opening day.

Stats and facts

Brighton’s last home league meeting with Spurs was an 8-0 defeat last season, their heaviest ever defeat in the Women’s Super League and Tottenham’s biggest ever win.

Tottenham have won five WSL matches against Brighton, their most against any opponent, with two wins in their last three against the Seagulls.

Brighton have suffered eight defeats in their last 11 home WSL games (W2 D1), losing their last three in a row. They last endured a longer home losing run between October 2020 and January 2021 (five).

Following their 3-1 win over Bristol City on MD2, Tottenham Hotspur are looking for consecutive league wins in the same season for the first time since February 2022, one of which was against Brighton.

Brighton and Hove Albion have forced 43 high turnovers in the WSL this season, 13 more than any other side, with nine of those leading to a shot at goal, also the most of any team.

Tottenham Hotspur are winless in their last 19 Women’s Super League matches when conceding first (D2 L17), losing each of their last nine away games after letting in the first goal of the game.

Only Chelsea (27) and Man City (26) have had more open play sequences with 10+ passes in the WSL this season than Tottenham Hotspur (24). Spurs are averaging 55.4% possession this season, just over 10% higher than their average figure from 2022-23 (44.9%).

Tottenham’s Eveliina Summanen has been directly involved in six goals in her last six Women’s Super League starts (4 goals, 2 assists), scoring and assisting in their 3-1 win over Bristol City.

Spurs winger Celin Bizet Ildhusøy has progressed the ball further upfield than any other non-defender in the Women’s Super League this season (238m).

Brighton’s Elisabeth Terland has had 11 efforts at goal in the Women’s Super League this season, with only Chelsea’s Lauren James (12) having more. She scored in her last appearance against Spurs in April.

Match officials