Preview: Tottenham Hotspur v United Women
Manchester United Women are looking to get back to winning ways when we face Tottenham Hotspur in our latest Women’s Super League outing on Sunday (12 February).
Marc Skinner’s side were left frustrated by Everton’s visit to Leigh Sports Village last time out, with the spoils being shared in a 0-0 draw despite us creating an abundance of chances.
Spurs away will be the last league game we play this month, with an international break to come and then the FA Cup tie at home to Durham on 26 February.
Ahead of the Reds’ visit to North London, here’s everything you need to know…
LIVE COVERAGE
United Women’s away trip to Tottenham Hotspur is scheduled to kick-off at 12:00 GMT, with all of the action being shown live on Sky Sports in the UK.
We will provide regular updates in the United App, and you can also follow what happens via our designated women’s Twitter account, @ManUtdWomen. A match report and gallery will follow soon after the full-time whistle.
HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD
It is the first time this season that we’re coming up against Rehanne Skinner’s side, with this fixture originally postponed in the wake of the Queen’s death last September. We’ve played each other eight times in the league before this encounter, with the London club getting promoted into the WSL in the same year that we did at the end of 2018/19. The Reds are currently unbeaten against them, winning seven and drawing one.
Our first season following the team's formation in 2018 saw us earn comprehensive victories against Spurs in the Championship, beating them 5-1 at home and 4-1 away. Since promotion into the WSL, we’re still yet to lose against them, earning four victories across the 2020/21 and 2021/22 campaigns. The first time we dropped any points against Spurs was last season, after conceding an injury-time equaliser to draw 1-1 away at The Hive. The Reds triumphed 3-0 in the return match at Leigh Sports Village.
United welcomed Leah Galton back into the side against Everton last weekend, for her first game of 2023 having been previously sidelined through injury. In his pre-match interview, Skinner told club media that he has all of his squad available for selection, including PFA Fans' Player of the Month nominees Ona Batlle and Maya Le Tissier. The only exclusions are January newcomers Lisa Naalsund and Jayde Riviere who, in the head coach’s own words, are ‘progressing nicely’ and are on target for a mid-March return.
Spurs will be without a handful of players who sustained ACL injuries last year, with Ellie Brazil and Kyah Simon among the two to suffer from the long-term knee problem at the back end of 2022. Ex-Reds defender Amy Turner is likely to feature for the hosts on Sunday after completing a move to London. Turner has returned to the country following a short stint with Orlando Pride in the United States.
Since the turn of the new year, Spurs have notched just one win in four games, with a 5-0 victory over London City in the fourth round of the FA Cup. They were narrowly beaten 2-1 by Aston Villa in their first game of 2023, before being knocked out of the Continental Cup at the hands of Chelsea. The Blues inflicted another defeat on their London rivals, this time in the WSL where they won 3-2. Despite results not currently going in their favour, the January additions of Bethany England and Mana Iwabuchi, from Chelsea and Arsenal respectively, have seen an upturn in their efforts going forward and it is surely only a matter of time before the pieces start falling into place for Spurs.
As for United, we are yet to be beaten since Chelsea visited Leigh Sports Village for a league encounter on 6 November and left with all three points. Having lost our spot at the top of the table following a draw to Everton, despite creating over 20 chances, the Reds will be on the hunt for all three points at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in order to keep ourselves in the mix at the top of the table.
Tottenham v United Women: Skinner's pre-match Q&A
Ben Ibson sat down with Marc Skinner to get the latest news and views before Spurs away...
There are only a handful of games this weekend, but there are some to keep an eye on at the top of the table. Saturday's game is an immediate opportunity for our local rivals Manchester City to avenge their 1-0 defeat to Arsenal in the Continental Cup semi-final.
SATURDAY 11 FEBRUARY
Manchester City v Arsenal (12:30 GMT)
SUNDAY 12 FEBRUARY
Tottenham Hotspur v UNITED (12:00 GMT)
Brighton & Hove Albion v Aston Villa (14:00 GMT)
Liverpool v Leicester City (14:00 GMT)