We're back on the road in the Barclays Women's Super League this afternoon (12pm UK) as we face Liverpool at St Helens Stadium.
Watch the game below via WSL's Official YouTube Channel...
We can confirm the starting line-ups and substitutes for this afternoon’s Barclays Women’s Super League clash with Liverpool at St Helens Stadium (12pm UK).
Robert Vilahamn has made three changes for the trip to Liverpool.
In defence, Clare Hunt comes into the starting XI for Eveliina Summanen, who misses today’s game due to suspension after an accumulation of five yellow cards this term.
Drew Spence is also not available for today’s clash with the Red having triggered a one-match suspension in the WSL for her fifth yellow card last weekend, with Matilda Vinberg coming in from the start.
After coming off the bench against Villa to mark her return from injury, Bethany England will lead the line this afternoon at St Helens Stadium, replacing Martha Thomas in the starting XI.
Academy goalkeeper Erin Radbourne is also named in a senior matchday squad for the first time in her career, while defender Charlotte Grant is back amongst the substitutes after missing last weekend's clash with Villa due to injury.
Here's how we line-up...
Kop, Morris, Hunt, Bartrip, Neville, Rybrink, Oroz, Naz, Holdt, Vinberg, England (c).
We should like to inform supporters that we are in discussions with the Premier League regarding a change in date to our away Premier League match against Aston Villa, currently scheduled for Sunday 18 May.
Further information surrounding this fixture will be announced in due course.
Liverpool vs Spurs, Premier League | Talking Tactics, with Rob Daly Tottenham Hotspur
Anfield awaits us for the second time this season as we visit table-toppers Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.
Here’s all the key info you need, as we bid to prevent the hosts from securing the point they need to clinch the title...
What time is kick-off against Liverpool?
The match starts at 4.30pm UK time.
How can I watch the game?
Sunday’s clash will be televised live in the UK on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event.
Additionally, our Match Centre here on tottenhamhotspur.com and the Spurs Official app brings you live text and audio commentary, stats, photos and more, ensuring you’re able to follow all the action as it happens.
Video highlights will be available across Club channels from two hours after the full-time whistle.
What is the team news?
Ange Postecoglou has again hinted that he could rotate in certain areas with Thursday’s Europa League semi-final in mind.
Heung-Min Son is not yet available because of a foot problem while Radu Dragusin is a long-term absentee with a knee injury.
Trent Alexander-Arnold could start for Liverpool after returning to action as a substitute last weekend, but Joe Gomez remains out.
Who is the referee?
Tom Bramall will take charge of the match at Anfield, assisted by Simon Bennett and Dan Robathan.
The fourth official will be Chris Kavanagh.
VAR duties will be handled by Craig Pawson and assistant Darren Cann.
What colours will the teams be playing in?
Liverpool will wear their usual all-red strip, with their goalkeeper wearing an all-black kit.
We’ll change to our light blue away kit, with our keeper in yellow.
Stuart Lewis' side put on a stunning show to beat Leicester City 7-0 in the Under-18 Premier League on Saturday (26 April) lunchtime.
Tynan Thompson opened the scoring after just seven minutes, before Ellis Lehane doubled our lead four minutes later.
A well worked free-kick from Harry Byrne allowed Jun'ai Byfield to extend our lead before half-time.
The second-half was equally dominant, as Miracle Adewole added a fourth two minutes after the restart and Lehane made it five four minutes later.
Both of those goals were created by Luca Williams-Barnett, who was also on target with our sixth, before Lehane completed his hat-trick, and the scoring, from the penalty spot 11 minutes from time.
The result leaves us six points behind leaders Chelsea with three games in hand.
More to follow...
Next up in the Barclays Women’s Super League is a trip to Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.
Here’s all the key info you need to know…
What time is kick-off against Liverpool?
The match starts at 12pm UK time.
How can I watch the game?
Sunday’s match will also be broadcast live on Barclays Women’s Super League YouTube account.
You can also keep up to date with minute-by-minute text updates on our Match Centre here on tottenhamhotspur.com and the Spurs Official app.
Video highlights of all the action will be available on SPURSPLAY on Monday.
What is the team news?
Midfielders Drew Spence and Eveliina Summanen will miss our trip to Liverpool on Sunday.
Eveliina and Drew were both booked against Aston Villa last weekend - their fifth respective yellow cards in the WSL - which has triggered an automatic one-match suspension in the competition.
Charlotte Grant has since returned to training this week and could be available to face the Reds, while Hayley Raso, Luana Buhler and Kit Graham all remain unavailable.
For the hosts, Amber Whiteley reported that Olivia Smith is available for selection while Leanne Kiernan is a doubt for this weekend after picking up a knock in training.
However, she also revealed that Alejandra Bernabe is set to be sidelined for the remainder of the campaign.
Who is the referee?
Phoebe Cross will take charge of the game on Sunday.
She will be assisted by Harley Hetherington and Lauren Whiteman, with Laura Van Lier as the fourth official.
Robert Vilahamn spoke to the media at Hotspur Way on Friday afternoon, ahead of our Barclays Women’s Super League fixture at Liverpool at St Helens Stadium on Sunday (12pm UK).
Here’s what he had to say…
Robert on the latest team news…
“No new injuries and Charli [Grant] is back training as well, so it's only the two suspensions with Drew [Spence] and Eveliina [Summanen] this weekend."
Robert on finishing the season strongly…
“It's a mixture of trying to get some good energy into the last few games to get the result, but the bigger thing is where we need to improve and try to get better for next season. You can’t fix everything that’s been going wrong this season in these last three games, but we’re learning a lot, we need to make sure we close this season over the goal line, we need to make sure these last three games we get some points, get some wins and go to the summer break with a better feeling, and make sure we fix everything we need to fix to look better next season.”
Robert on Ella Morris’ performances…
“When we scouted her last season, we were like “yes!” - that’s a Spurs player. That’s the kind of recruitment we want to do. Great character as well, great physicality and a good age to make sure she can develop to the top. She had a tough start with injuries here, I think she adapted quite well in pre-season, but she had some injuries, some set-backs from that, but the consistency now, the way she’s taking steps even if we’re not over-performing in the games, that’s very impressive. The bravery she has, she’s knocking on the door for the next step with England now and that’s why she has a long-term contract with us, so we can invest even more in her. Even if it’s a tough season, she’s one of the shining things.”
Robert on regaining confidence…
“We started a few weeks ago. We needed to find a way to play better, create more goal chances to get ourselves the results, we have improved. We play better, we dictate the game better, but we still need to find ways to win, which is very frustrating. Obviously, there’s a big thing on me there where I find better decisions, better tactics, to find a result before we go to the break, but this season isn’t over yet, we have three more games and we have a chance to win a few games. It's a chance to show the fans and media that we are taking steps, I think the players can show some more steps because a lot of them are going to play the Euros. We have a lot of stuff to do, even if the league (position) is not the most fun to watch right now, but it’s basically trying to get the energy, making sure those players who need to be picked up, are being picked up, the energy is everything to make sure we get the result. In the last game, 2-0 down, we actually got back to 2-2 and almost got to 3-2, we lost anyway, but you see the character of the players, you see what we’re doing and we need to find some good ways to balance the defence with the offence. We’re still creating chances, hopefully Liverpool can be the start of three good games before the summer break.”
Robert on Villa’s late winner last weekend & whether we should have played for a draw…
“You can say that if you go for a low block in the last 10 minutes, go for one point and if you succeed, it might be ok. We don’t want to be that kind of team, we had the momentum to score more goals and I think we actually had chances before that goal. It’s not like we went crazy, we played our normal style, we came back from 2-0 down and kept going, it’s not like we were pushing a button to keep going even more. You can definitely push the button to stop attacking but I want to develop this team to be a machine that wants to attack, score goals and be brave, so if I say to be not brave and protect a draw, that’s not me and that’s not this Club. We can definitely make better decisions in the game, it was not because of tactics that we conceded that goal, it wasn’t too much attacking but it was a mixture of quality and decision making.”
Robert on Liverpool…
“They changed coach, they have had a few really good results and I think they have a decent squad. We are quite near them; it's a game where we want to show we are better than Liverpool. We want to show that we are “best of the rest”, or whatever you want to call it, from the top four, and they are “best of the rest” according to the table, so we need to make sure we start winning against them. It’s a tough game, they have some good players and had some results lately.”
On Kit Graham’s recovery…
"She's following a plan, she's supporting the squad, and she's now on the grass, running and training on her own, so there's not enough time before we end the season to have her in collective training and in games, but she's taking the right steps. I think she will be ready and hopefully with the squad once we start up after the summer break, but you never know with these injuries, one month here and one month there, but the good thing is that she's in good spirits and looking very happy with the steps she's taking."
Robert on Martha Thomas’ form…
“We, collectively, have had an issue with not scoring too many goals, I think Bethany has obviously had really good moments, but the rest of the squad, we need to make sure we score more goals. So, we’ve worked on goal chances, but also being clinical in those situations. Martha is scoring a lot of goals in training so it’s when we get those moments in the games where she’s scoring. I’m a former striker, I know exactly how she feels when she’s waiting for that goal because it means so much for a nine, but she works so hard for the team. She’s always pushing and training hard, it’s just a matter of time before she gets that goal, then it’s going to be even more goals.”
Robert on Jess Naz being back on the scoresheet…
"She’s one of those (players) who we believe very much in and she’s taking big steps since I came to this Club. She had a setback this season when we didn’t really perform as a team, she didn’t nail the chances we created, and then she had a few games on the bench, but she took that so well. She had an assist against Leicester, then scored this goal, and her performance as well, she was really good one-v-one in this game, and also against Leicester. Now, she’s showing Sarina [Wiegman] why she should be in that [Lionesses] squad.”
Robert on Bethany England’s impact…
“With any players that has great leadership, they have a big impact on the squad. So, even if she didn’t do an assist or goal, she still has an impact, whether she’s in the squad or on the pitch. She trained well this week, didn’t have any setbacks from those minutes, so she can probably take more minutes in this game. Then it’s a question of how many minutes, being able to start her or bring her on, but that’s the decision for tomorrow. She’ll definitely be on the pitch for the minutes she can because she’s that good and you want to maximise the minutes you get with her. I also think she wants to come back and score a few more goals before the summer break because she’s very determined to show who she is, and who knows, there’s a Euros coming up, the form she had before her injury, if she scores a few more goals and shows character here, it’s never too late to get back in the national team.”
Robert on how to replace Drew & Eveliina for this weekend…
“We are aware what kind of players are not available. We have a plan, and you will see it on Sunday.”
Ben Davies supported Tottenham Hotspur Foundation in delivering football and reading activities for local schoolchildren today.
The session was delivered as part of the Premier League Primary Stars education programme that uses the appeal of football to help children be active and develop essential life skills.
Ben joined in with Year 5 and 6 pupils at St Francis de Sales Catholic Infant & Junior School, opposite Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as they took part in passing drills and small-sided matches.
He then headed to the classroom, where he supported Year 4 pupils developing their reading skills.
It was not the first time Ben has joined the Foundation’s education team, with our Welsh defender a prominent supporter of the National Literacy Trust. He has also visited the London Academy of Excellence Tottenham that is sponsored by the Club and based on the Stadium campus.
Ben, himself, has secured an economics and business degree from the Open University during his time with the Club, and was elected to the Professional Footballers’ Association's Players’ Board in November.
He said: “As a Club we represent our area and I think it’s vital we give back to our community. It’s so important what we do in the local community through the Foundation.
“The opportunity to come to sessions like the one today is something, as players, we all enjoy. We really do feel the rewards of engaging with our community and being able to give back as much as we can. It's the little things like seeing how happy the kids are that make it worthwhile.”
Over the last four years, the Foundation has engaged 7,000 children across almost 100 local schools through Premier League Primary Stars.
Andrew Wands, Foundation education manager, said: “Funding we receive from the Premier League, through the Premier League Charitable Fund, is really helping us make a significant impact.
“More than a third of primary school pupils are working below the expected standard for reading at the end of Key Stage 2 in Haringey, but last year we utilised Premier League Primary Stars resources to deliver 180 sessions to 240 reluctant readers, with those reporting English was important to them doubling as a result.”