Tottenham Women take on Chelsea Women for the first time this season, in their match at the Kingsmeadow Stadium on Wednesday evening. The Lilywhites currently sit ten points behind their midweek opposition but have had a solid season so far, winning half of their 16 matches.
Emmas Hayes' side are now just two points off first placed Arsenal and have a game in hand, so will be looking to get maximum points from the tie. Rehanne Skinner's Tottenham side are just one point off a top four place so will also be hoping to secure the three points.
Spurs' last fixture was over a week ago, which ended in a 1-0 defeat to Man City Women but Skinner has previously praised her side's resillience, so remained positive in Tuesday's press conference ahead of the game. The Tottenham's boss' side finished eighth in the Women's Super League last season and have already made major improvements since then.
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With new signings and some good form, Skinner was quick to praise her side at the start of the year. "We've got very good footballers but if you don't have that togetherness, that fighting spirit and that ability to be resilient, you won't get anywhere," the Tottenham boss said, in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports.
"You never have a game all your own way so it's about working together to change momentum and handle pressure. I couldn't be prouder of the way the players have applied themselves to that and stuck together in key moments."
Spurs Women are now entering their final games in the runup to the end of the season and will want to finish in the best position possible. It will be the first time the Lilywhites are facing Chelsea this season, with the reverse tie being played in just over a month. In her pre match press conference, Skinner spoke about her sides preparation and revealed the extra time that they have had, which could be a boost for the Tottenham side. "We've had a solid training week last week which is good.
"We’ve had an opportunity to get on the grass for a couple more sessions than we normally would, based on if we had had a game last weekend." Unlike Spurs, Chelsea Women played on Sunday in their FA Cup quarter final tie, so will have only had a couple of days to prepare for the match. "I think we're in a very good place going into the game and obviously we're looking forward to it with this being the first time we've played them this season."
Skinner explained how tough the match will be, describing the depth Hayes has in her squad as 'significant'. Tottenham have had a mixture of results this season but have recently beaten Birmingham and Brighton.
There is an overall progression in the work that the Spurs boss is doing with her side, which she explained needs to continue. "We are going in the right direction in terms of what we need to do to be more competitive with these teams [above Tottenham] and so we’re just trying to continue to build on what we're developing here as a club and I think that's going in the right direction."
Chelsea are currently dealing with their own issues off the pitch, with talk around their takeover ongoing, after Roman Abramovich's assets were frozen earlier this month. Skinner was asked if she thought the problems off the field could give her side an advantage in the fixture.
"I don't know, is the answer, it could go either way. It depends what goes on behind closed doors in and around the team culture and how they set about wanting to deal with it and move forward. Until we get on the grass, when we were 11 v 11, we will see what the outcome is at that point. I think we can only ever focus on what we need to do and control what we can. All of the other things are completely up to what Chelsea do."
Both sides will be fighting for a victory in the game and it will give the winning side a positive boost in the Women's Super League table.
