Heading into the London derby this weekend, facing a side that sit just below us in the league table, we will have a chance to extend our excellent record against promoted teams at home, where we’ve won our last five games against sides in their first season in the WSL.
However, the Bromley-based side managed to get the better off us in the reverse fixture in November, running out 4-2 winners at Hayes Lane but, in an FA Cup clash in February, it finished 2-2 in a dramatic 90 minutes before we won the penalty shootout 9-8 to progress to the quarter-finals of the competition.
Following the goalless draw with Manchester United last weekend, it moved us closer to recording our best ever season in the top flight and if we can get the better of London City on Sunday, we will set a record for the most points collected in a single campaign, bettering the 32 achieved in 2021/22.
Having recorded our first clean sheet since early January last Sunday against United, no team has kept more clean sheets at home (five) than us and could keep back-to-back shutouts on home turf for the first time since September, 2021.
But we face a London City side who travel to east London on the back off an emphatic 5-1 victory over Leicester City at Hayes Lane, moving them on to 24 points in their maiden campaign at this level – the most won by a promoted side in the league.
Keep an eye on Matilda Vinberg this weekend, though. The Sweden international has created more chances than any other player in our squad this season so far (22) while providing the joint-most assists (three).
The young forward, who is enjoying one of her best seasons in Lilywhite with eight goal contributions in 24 appearances in all competitions, was a goalscorer in our FA Cup fixture with London City last time out, with a composed finish from inside the box.
Here are some other headline pre-match facts, courtesy of Opta, ahead of the London derby:
Since MD14 at the beginning of February, we have recorded the most shots (131), the second-highest xG figure (14.0) and the third-most touches in the opposition box (227) in the WSL. We have had 20+ shots in three different games in that period, more often than any other side.
On MD20 against Leicester, London City Lionesses became the second newly promoted team to score five goals in a WSL game after West Ham United vs Yeovil in December 2018; the Lionesses had 10 shots on target in that win, also the joint-most in the competition by a promoted team.
We named our youngest ever starting lineup for a WSL game last time out against Manchester United (24 years and 217 days) – only Everton (4,743) and London City Lionesses (4,713) have handed more minutes to players aged 21 or under than us (3,956) in the top-flight this season.
Isobel Goodwin and Freya Godfrey have both scored five league goals this season, making London City Lionesses the first newly promoted team to have two players hit that mark in a Women’s Super League campaign since Manchester United in 2019-20 (Lauren James – 6 and Katie Zelem – 5).
Predict the score | Spurs vs London City Lionesses