Big WSL Test Awaits As Manchester United prepare to face Tottenham.

Tottenham visit Manchester on Sunday 14^th December with hopes of keeping their push for Champions League alive. The game kicks off at 2:30pm BST and is being played at Leigh Sports Village, giving Manchester United the home advantage. 

Coming into the game, both teams have won their last game, with the winner of Sunday’s game potentially going to second place. Both teams will see this as a big opportunity to push for a top 3 finish, even so early on in the season. The home side have three wins from their past five games, with Tottenham only having two. Manchester United will come into this game with confidence, with the Red Devils not losing to Tottenham in their last 13 meetings, however the North London team have scored seven goals in their last five matches. A win for either side will elevate their title ambitions and keep pressure on the top three. 

Form analysis: 

Manchester United’s recent form in the WSL has been solid, with their last game a 2-1 victory over West Ham. Having said this, United suffered an exit from the Champions League, following a huge 3-0 defeat to Lyon. The Manchester team have an average of 2.1 goals scored per game, with an average of 1 goal conceded per game, showing how strong their defence and attack is. In comparison, Tottenham score around 1.3 goals and concede 1.3 goals per match, making them the slight underdogs in this fixture.  

Tottenham have shown resilience against top three sides, with the Lilywhites pushing Arsenal to a 0-0 draw and only narrowly losing to Chelsea. This will give the team motivation and belief that they can leave Manchester with some points. Tottenham’s most recent match was against Aston Villa, where two late goals saw Spurs take the win. The two goals in the last ten minutes show the belief that Tottenham play with, something that they will need a lot of when they come up against United.  

Key players to watch:  

For the home side, Elisabeth Terland and Melvin Malard are in great form currently, with the attacking duo being United’s key attacking outlets and consistent goal threats. The duo has racked up a total of eight goals between them so far, making them a huge threat in front of goal. Creative midfielder Hinata Miyazawa has also played a huge role in United’s success recently, with her dribbling and passing precision making her a valuable asset to the midfield.  

Tottenham Captain Beth England will play a huge part in whether the away team leave with three points, with her scoring three goals and assisting one goal in ten games. The Captain scored in Tottenham’s most recent game, with England scoring the equaliser before Holdt won the game. However, as much as Beth England and Olivia Holdt will be great attacking outlets, Spurs will be without skilled forward Jess Naz as a result of her recent ACL injury, a significant blow to Tottenham’s firepower.  

A tactical battle in midfield can be expected with both teams eager to control the game and impose structure early on, with Spurs likely to look to exploit transitions and counter attacks, while United likely to press high and create chances through wide play.  

This game is a top three battle with European Qualification implications. For Tottenham, they will be extremely eager to take the three points, with hope to qualify for Europe for the first time in their history. The game can be watched on Sky Sports at 2:30pm BST.