We're set to face local rivals Tottenham Hotspur for the second time this week, and Jonas Eidevall is not expecting radical changes from our first meeting this Saturday.
"I don’t know if it’s difficult or not," said Eidevall at the pre-match press conference. "Both teams learn when they play against each other for the first time. It’s like a longer half-time break, where you can actually work on things on the training ground.
"Both teams have also had a quick turnaround between the games. I think there are going to be details that will be changed but I don’t picture big changes from one game to another when there’s such a quick [turnaround]."
Fellow Swede Robert Vilahamn took over in the Spurs dugout this summer and despite a bright start, the London side have recently suffered heavy losses against Manchester City and United.
"You can see that he has changed the way they’ve been playing. You can see they’ve been very good with that process. They have a very clear identity of how they want to play. They’ve been sticking with that, both in good times and in bad times.
"He’s been very clear on the direction he wants the team to go in. That is always helpful when you try to develop something: that you are strong-willed and you can live your values.
"This WSL is the most competitive it’s ever been. Any team can beat anyone on any given day, if you’re not playing up to your standards. We know we need to be very good tomorrow if we are to get the result we want. That’s what we need to focus on.
A huge win over league leaders Chelsea last weekend was our seventh straight victory in the Women's Super League but Eidevall was keen to stress that our squad was not getting carried away.
"We were confident going into that game. It was nice to see the level we could play at but it’s all about what you do with that going forward. You need to have lots of humility to be able to have standards really high in training and when we play. That’s the standard going forward."
"We prep the same way for every game. The next game is our most important game. That means that 100 per cent of our preparation and focus goes into this game."
Saturday's tie will be our third league game played at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The first-ever WSL north London derby took place there back in 2019, with Kim Little and Vivianne Miedema granting us a 2-0 win.
"It’s great that it’s a game that can be played in front of more spectators. Hopefully, a lot of people will come to watch the game tomorrow.
"I’ve been there once before, for a training match when I had only been here for a couple of weeks. The pitch then was very nice to play on and the conditions should be at a really high level.
"We’re really determined and motivated to try and end this year on as high a level as possible. After that, hopefully, we can go into a well-deserved Christmas break."
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