Match preview

Preview: Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal Women

Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal Women. Brisbane Road. 25 March 2023

It's North London Derby time once again in the Women's Super League as we travel to Brisbane Road to take on a Spurs side battling against the drop. 

Our local rivals have yet to beat us in the league across six meetings but Spurs have a lot to play for, as a potential scrap for relegation looms. For us, meanwhile, a big victory on Saturday could see us shoot into second place in the table heading into crunch time. 

Last time around

In front of a record-breaking crowd at Emirates Stadium, we hit four past our local rivals in September. Beth Mead opened the scoring after only five minutes played, with Vivianne Miedema and Rafaelle Souza rounding out the victory. 

A tough season for Spurs

Spurs walk away as Manchester United celebrate scoring

After reaching their highest-ever WSL finish last season, Spurs now find themselves only five points above the drop. 

A decent start to the season saw them thrash Brighton & Hove Albion 8-0 and only lose to ourselves, Chelsea and Manchester City.

When December hit, so too did a run of nine straight losses in the league which proved too much for manager Rehanne Skinner to weather. She was fired in March and assistant coach Vicky Jepson stepped in as interim manager - immediately breaking the cold streak with a win over struggling Leicester City. 

The arrival of ex-Chelsea striker Bethany England has provided a much-needed spark up front, and her wonder goal proved to be the difference against Leicester City. With the WSL heading into crunch time and Reading and Brighton hot on their heels, Spurs will feel the importance of this North London Derby more keenly than ever before. 

What the managers say

Jonas Eidevall claps the supporters

Eidevall on Spurs: "I've seen a Tottenham side that’s been a little bit unlucky. They've been working really hard. I think they have a quality team of players that we have a lot of respect for, so I expect an opponent that will make life very hard for us on Saturday. We need to be on top of our game in order to win."

Jepson on us: "They're a top European team. So we know it's going to be tough but in derbies, it's an occasion so form can go out the window. And it's on our home turf which is great.

"We don't fear them, that's for sure, but we know that we're going to have to be really on it to nullify the strengths that they have, and be diligent in the way that we apply ourselves in positions of causing problems going forward."

Team news

Beth Mead in rehab at London Colney

Steph Catley remains unavailable due to a foot injury but Eidevall hopes she'll be able to return before the end of the season. Both Vivianne Miedema and Beth Mead are in the midst of long recoveries from ACL injuries sustained earlier in the season. 

"[Beth's] rehab is going as planned," Eidevall said in his pre-Spurs press conference. "She's working incredibly hard and we're happy with the progress that she's making. We don't have anything specific to communicate in terms of return date yet." 

How to watch

Lia Walti in action against Tottenham Hotspur

The North London Derby kicks off at 3pm at Brisbane Road. For those in the UK, you can watch along live on Sky Sports, with coverage starting at 2pm.

Facts and stats

Caitlin Foord celebrates scoring at Meadow Park
  • This is the seventh North London Derby in the WSL. Spurs have yet to defeat us, losing five and drawing one of our previous encounters
  • We have scored seven goals without conceding in our last two matches against Tottenham
  • After three league games without a win between January and February, we returned to winning ways with back-to-back WSL victories against Liverpool and Reading
  • Tottenham broke their nine-game losing streak last time around with a 1-0 win over last-place Leicester City. This was Vicky Jepson’s first game in charge of the club
  • We have only conceded eight goals in the WSL this season - the fewest of any team in the league - with six of those goals coming from open play. Meanwhile, Spurs have conceded 29
  • Only Brighton have conceded more goals from corners this season than Spurs, while only Chelsea have scored more goals from corners this season than we have
  • Caitlin Foord has been directly involved in the most goals of any Arsenal player in the WSL this season with two goals and six assists. Our Aussie winger has scored or assisted in her last two league appearances
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