On the back of their victory in the Continental Cup in midweek, Tottenham Hotspur travel to Manchester on Sunday as they take on the City Blues at the Joie Stadium.
The hosts on the other hand drew 2-2 in midweek to Leicester City. A second-half comeback from Man City was not enough as Leicester claimed the extra point in the shootout.
But back to the Women’s Super League now and both teams prepare to build on their current form and pick up the points in the last game of the weekend.
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Head to Head
Following their first competitive game against each other in January 2020, Tottenham and Man City have come head-to-head eight times.
The stats are loud and clear, City dominate this fixture, and have beat the north London side in seven of those games. The only time Spurs have picked up the three points was in September 2021.
Despite this, this weekend’s visitors are a new side under manager Robert Vilahamn and will be looking to rewrite history.
Their last five results against each other are:
- City 3-1 Spurs - 5 March 2023
- Spurs 0-3 City - 22 October 2022
- Spurs 0-1 City - 13 March 2022
- City 3-0 Spurs - 3 February 2022 (Conti Cup)
- City 1-2 Spurs 12 September 2021
That’s 11 goals for Sunday’s hosts, and just the three for the Lilywhites.
Fortunes favour the brave, and Vilahamn’s side took a risk in their opening game against Chelsea, a wishful risk that they’ll be looking to implement again against another top side.
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Manager thoughts
Early this week, during his press conference with the media, Vilahamn spoke about the challenge at hand, he said:
“They are a good team with really good quality players, but this league is more competitive now, they lost against Brighton, they have a few draws, I think we have a chance.
“We are ready to take that fight, I’m looking forward to seeing if we can do that.”
Gareth Taylor on the other hand, has been following Tottenham’s results this campaign:
“[They’ve] made a step forward in this early period. Sometimes you don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes but it’s a big club and rightly so they should try to get the best for their women's team as well.”
Despite the stats being stacked against them, there is no better time like the present to determine your future, and Vilahamn’s side are currently one point behind City and have the chance to move above them with a win this weekend.
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Current form
Coming into this game, Tottenham have not lost a game since they travelled across London to take on last season’s Champions Chelsea on the opening day of the season.
Despite their impressive run, in the league they have drawn their last three games 1-1, and although picking up the points is good at this stage of the season, they will need to turn that one point into three if they want to keep pushing up the table and prove their doubters wrong.
Additionally, they have managed to score and concede in every single game so far this season. They certainly have a difficult task on their hands when they travel north, but will need to keep their head’s in the game if they want that first clean sheet of the season.
Man City currently sit third in the WSL on 13 points after seven games, having won four games and lost two.
They are already six points behind table toppers Chelsea and three points behind Arsenal heading into this weekend’s fixtures, and will need to build on their derby day victory if they want to close the gap, or atleast maintain the chase.
But it will not all be plain sailing as they were defeated in their last league home game, and will not want to make it two in a row.
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One to watch
Celin Bizet is our one to watch in Lilywhite. The Norwegian forward is in fine form, and will be looking to add to her tally this weekend.
With a fan-made chant to the tune of My Heart Will Go On, fans believe she will score goals, and she’s doing exactly that. Having scored in her last two WSL games, extending this run on Sunday will help her side continue their improved start to the season and, hopefully, leave Manchester extending their unbeaten run.
On the other hand, the hosts have an attacking fire power that has the ability to torment Tottenham, with Khadija Shaw, Chloe Kelly and Jill Roord all impressing in the league this season.
After scoring a handful of goals against Spurs last season, Bunny Shaw is certainly one to watch this weekend. In March, the Jamaican forward scored a hat-trick against this weekend’s opposition, and certainly will be looking to extend that infront of a home crowd on Sunday.
Last weekend, Shaw was taken off in the closing stages of the derby with a potential injury, and in midweek, she was rested. If she is fit, she will be threatening and dangerous going forward, which could be a problem for a Spurs side who are still looking for their first clean sheet.
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Match details
The match between Man City and Tottenham is being played at the Joie Stadium, formerly City Football Academy, on Sunday 26 November.
Fans can watch this game live on Sky Sports as the teams will battle it out from 18:45 on Sky Sports Football.
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Elsewhere in the WSL
Elsewhere in the WSL, Bristol City host Man United, Arsenal host West Ham, Chelsea host Leicester, Liverpool host Brighton and Aston Villa host Everton before the final game of the weekend at the Joie Stadium in Manchester.
