Hope Powell expects a strong reaction from opponents Everton when they meet in today’s Barclays Women’s Super League fixture at Walton Hall Park (5.30pm).
The Toffees are under new management after former Champions League winner Jean-Luc Vasseur took over last week and led his side to a 3-1 Conti Cup win in his first game against Leicester City on Wednesday.
“Regardless of who was in charge of Everton, playing them away is always very tough and I’d imagine it will be even tougher now they have a new manager. I haven’t come across him before but he’s got a great record with Lyon in France and I’m looking forward to meeting him.
“They recruited heavily in the summer and want to challenge for the top three. Like us, they are an ambitious club.”
Powell believes it will need a defensive display similar to the one Albion produced for long spells of last Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final to give them a platform to build on tonight.
“I thought defensively last week we were magnificent, particularly in the first half,” added Powell. “We kept it to 0-0 at half-time but it was always possible that their quality would make the difference in the end.
“One of my mantras is that if you make yourself hard to beat you give yourself the best chance of winning the game.
“But we need to build on that, get better at keeping the ball and trust our ability in possession. That’s an ongoing challenge for us, and it starts against Everton.”