At the risk of hyperbole, Spurs Women vs London City Lionesses is one of the biggest games of the season. Not just so far. Of the entire campaign.
These are two sides gunning to break up the “big four” and even qualify for the Champions League. It is a match that could have wide-reaching consequences for the rest of this season and beyond.
Tottenham start the game with an advantage. After four games, they are in second (!), unbeaten on 10 points. LCL are a point behind, after a shock defeat to West Ham in the matchweek two. It all makes for a rather tasty new rivalry.
Spurs Women vs London City Lionesses: A New Rivalry
LCL boss Eder Maestre acknowledged the edge in this game in his pre-match press conference. “Derbies are always these kind of special games,” he said. Mentioning some “spicy moments between the teams”. He added that “the more history we can create in this kind of derbies, the better for the fan engagement”.
Maestre was in no doubt that Spurs and LCL are battling each other for a Champions League spot. “I think the steps that they are making are very, very powerful,” he said of his opponents. “Since last season, they showed how capable they were.” Maestre praised Spurs defender Toko Koga and opposite number Martin Ho, too.
On Ho’s part, he pushed back at the idea of an “unbeatable” top three. In a punchy response, he said:
“We have this stigma that in this league that the top three teams are unbeatable and we create that as a society within football. Journalists create that themselves. It’s not what it is.”
A Basketball Battle
As the data from Twelve Football’s Earpiece tool show, LCL are a high-energy team. Like a high press and counter-pressing way of football. They are hard to get the ball off, too.
It’s not like Spurs hold back… We might be in for a bit of a basketball match!
How to Watch Spurs Women vs London City Lionesses
Tottenham vs LCL kicks-off at 2pm BST/9am ET on Sunday, 4th October. You can watch it on Sky Sports Football/Now in the UK and on Paramount+ in the US.
If you’re away, you can still access your usual services by using a VPN. I use NordVPN.
