Tottenham Hotspur Women Face Crystal Palace in Season Opener

The Tottenham Hotspur Women’s team is set to start its new season with a match against newly promoted Crystal Palace. The game will take place on Sunday at Brisbane Road, signaling a fresh London rivalry in the Women’s Super League.

Crystal Palace becomes the 19th team to join the Women’s Super League. Historically, Tottenham has performed well against new teams, winning six out of their last eight matches against such opponents. However, Spurs defender Molly Bartrip cautions against underestimating the newcomers.

Bartrip stated, “It’s going to be a battle. At the end of the day they’ve got no pressure, they’re in the league and they want to show what they’re made of – similar to Tottenham a few years back. Everyone has kind of been in that situation where they are the new ones and you don’t really know much about them, so it’s going to be a tough game regardless, but we fully have to focus on ourselves and what we know we can do.”

In the previous season, Spurs secured victories in three out of six London derbies, achieving a double win over West Ham United and defeating Arsenal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The team’s confidence is also reinforced by an undefeated pre-season, highlighted by a 1-0 victory in a friendly match against Manchester United. Notably, Manchester United had previously defeated Spurs 4-0 in May’s FA Cup final.

Despite losing key players Grace Clinton and Celin Bizet to United, Tottenham has bolstered its roster with the inclusion of Australian talents Hayley Raso and Clare Hunt. Head coach Robert Vilahamn is optimistic about the upcoming season.

Vilahamn expressed his enthusiasm, stating, “It feels like it’s fun to start with a derby against Crystal Palace. Pre-season has been good. When you are a new coach last year, it’s kind of nice going into the second season and you know the staff, you know the club, you know the league. I feel like we are in a good spot.”