Albion take on the Vixens at Ashton Gate this afternoon in the season opening weekend, which also sees Chelsea and Manchester City host their openers at Stamford Bridge and the Etihad Stadium respectively.
She said, “They’ve got some new players, and last season they were probably the team that did better than everyone expected.
“That’s a credit to their players and coaching staff, who had done a very good job. They will be organised and well drilled, as well as being hard to beat.
“I’m sure during the course of the summer, they will have embedded in those players. It will be tough, but they are a team that’s similar to us and hopefully we can do enough to win the game.
“Having the match at Ashton Gate is great for the women’s game. Chelsea are holding their game at Stamford Bridge and Man City are doing the same at the Etihad, which shows the interest which has been generated in the World Cup.
“The opportunity to play at their home stadium is fantastic, but I’m sure they will use that to their advantage and we’ve got to be prepared for that.”
Powell says that the aim heading into the new campaign will be to improve on last season’s ninth-place finish and says competing with the likes of Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur is going to add a new dimension to the league.
“We’ve had a lot of discussions around that, and the idea is to improve every year. The ambition of the players and staff at the club is to keep improving all the time.
“Having the likes of Man United and Tottenham in the division will make it tougher, and we’ll have to be at our very best to stay in this league.
“Man United in particular are a club with a great name and a big brand, which is good for the profile of the women’s game.”
Attention turned to a productive summer of recruitment for Albion, which saw Danique Kerkdijk, Megan Walsh, Matilde Lundorf and Lea Le Garrec all bolster the squad, and Powell commented on the qualities that all four players will bring.
“We’re really pleased with the players we’ve brought in. We were delighted to secure someone of Megan Walsh’s capabilities as a goalkeeper and she’s settled in very well.
“Danique is a Dutch international that was part of the World Cup squad, Matilde is very powerful and athletic, while Lea has spent time with the France national team and is technically very good.
“They will all add plenty to the squad.”