Key events
10 min: Buhler loses the ball in the final third to Russo, she is suddenly in the box but Petzelberger makes a crucial tackle to win it back and clear.
8 min: Now it is Spurs’ turn to be sloppy at the back, a loose pass sees the visitors set up their latest attack. Walti belts the ball into the area and she finds Russo but Votikova saves. Arsenal create a few chances but nothing comes of it and then Spurs break, Thomas finds England but her resulting shot is easily collected by Zinsberger.
6 min: Arsenal have multiple passes at the back and as soon as they launch forwards Tottenham intercept the ball, England almost pounces but Arsenal manage to clear the danger for now.
4 min: Spurs lose the ball in the final third with Foord winning it, she tries to find Russo but she is muscled off the ball. A heart in the mouth moment there. Arsenal are soon back in possession and have a patient build-up but eventually lose out. A bit scrappy in these early stages.
2 min: Spurs have a lot of the early possession as they look to strike to dent Arsenal’s belief.
Kick-off! Tottenham 0-0 Arsenal
Here we go then. Will Arsenal live up to their favourite status heading into this one? Or can Tottenham cause an upset? All the action to come. A fun fact as we get underway, Beth England is playing her 150th WSL appearance today.
The players are out at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which looks to have a decent turn out. Among those in the crowd is men’s manager Ange Postecoglou.
Have you been reading our free weekly women’s football newsletter Moving the Goalposts? It has exclusive interviews, brings you news from around the world and guest columnists. Have a read of this week’s, all about the women’s game in Egypt:
Tottenham boss Vilahamn said on Votikova starting in goal: “She has trained really well for a while, she had a good performance against Arsenal [mid-week] so we are trying to build on that momentum.”
So is this Arsenal’s year? Tottenham will do everything in their power to make sure it isn’t. Have a read of this piece:
The kick-off time is a strange one for me in terms of snacks for the game as it’s lunchtime but I’ll have a delayed lunch to cover the match! So I think I’m just going to go with some yoghurt, what snacks have you got on the go? Let me know via email!
Jessica Naz, who scored twice against Arsenal mid-week in the Conti Cup, has made way for Beth England in the starting line-up today. An understandable call with England the club captain and needing minutes after her return from injury. And it’s not bad having someone of Naz’ standard to come off the bench in a crucial North London derby! The other call that may raise an eyebrow for some is Votikova staying in goal, it is her first league start and Becky Spencer is on the bench. Will keep an ear out to see if Spencer has taken a knock.
Tottenham boss Robert Vilahamn has said his side are not going to hold anything back in the match, saying: “We’re not going to try to just have a low block and hope that we can counter-attack, we’re going to go for it and see if we can actually do it. I’m aware that they are very good so if we feel like we have struggles, then we have situations in the game where we can make sure we take care of that, but the main thing for me is to show the fans who come to the stadium that this team is all about playing the way we want to do it and not trying to focus on the opponents.
Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall said of having two NLD’s this week: “I don’t know if it’s difficult or not. 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].”
Arsenal’s Vivianne Miedema could potentially make her 100th WSL appearance, starting from the bench today. Her impact on the league since signing for the Gunners in 2017 has been immeasurable but there are some stats we can cite. The 27-year-old is the all-time scorer with 78 goals and has the most combined goals and assists with 112 goal involvements.
The team news is in! Tottenham have made just one change to their mid-week team who played Arsenal in the Conti Cup and it sees Beth England come in for Jessica Naz.
Tottenham: Votikova, James, Buhler, Bartrip, Neville, Petzelberger, Graham, Thomas, Bizet, Clinton, England
Arsenal. meanwhile, have made nine changes to their starting XI which includes Alessia Russo coming into the forwards and Vivianne Miedema dropping to the bench.
Arsenal: Zinsberger, Wubben-Moy, Catley, Mead, Maanum, Walti, McCabe, Foord, Pelova, Russo, Illestedt.
Preamble
Good morning and welcome back to the Women’s Super League. The North London derby is one of football’s biggest rivalries and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is the location for the it be re-ignited today.
This is the second NLD this week as Arsenal and Spurs played one another in the Conti Cup earlier this week. The game ended 3-3 but Arsenal won the penalty shoot-out.
It is not only pride a win would get Arsenal, it would also see them overtake Chelsea at the top of the table. The Gunners’ 4-1 thumping of the Blues last weekend saw them draw level on point with Chelsea only ahead on goal difference. Chelsea play Bristol City tomorrow.
Tottenham, meanwhile, would remain in sixth if they win but would draw closer to the all-important top three spots. They are currently only seven points outside of the Women’s Champions League qualification spots.
Before we dive into what has been said this week we will take a look at the team news. If Vivianne Miedema plays today she will make her 100th WSL appearance. The teams should release their line-ups shortly so stay tuned for updates.
