Tottenham Hotspur head coach Robert Vilahamn says that he is expecting a tough match when his side take on Crystal Palace in a Women’s League Cup group stage fixture at The VBS Community Stadium this evening.
Spurs need just a point to seal their place in the quarter-finals of the Women’s League Cup.
The Lilywhites have already faced Crystal Palace this season. Spurs won 4-0 at The Gaughan Group Stadium on the opening day of the new Barclays Women’s Super League campaign. When speaking in the pre-match press conference, Spurs boss Vilahamn said that he is expecting to come up against a much-improved Crystal Palace side this evening.
“They made a lot of good signings before the season started and they’ve had to get those players to learn how to play together under their manager,” Vilahamn said. “They had a few games to find a way and I think after those first two or three games, they have competed in pretty much all of the games.
“Crystal Palace are not a team that will obviously go down, they have shown that they are ready for staying in the Women’s Super League. On their day, they can beat anyone; with the players that they have, they’re good opponents.
“It’ll be fun to play them again and see where we are and where they are. It’s also nice to go into the cup with a good feeling knowing that a win or draw will take us into the quarter-finals.”
Crystal Palace’s Women’s League Cup qualification hopes are hanging by a thread. The Eagles could field a much-changed side against Spurs but Vilahamn still expects the South Londoners to be a threat.
He said “No matter what team they play, I actually think they have a strong squad this year. They’re quite clear with what they want to do and they’re doing it quite well.
“I think it’ll be more competitive than the last time we played them. I think it’ll be a much tougher game but hopefully, we can play our way and win it.”
Spurs were Adobe Women’s FA Cup finalists last season. Vilahamn believes that the club can take learnings from that experience and push hard again for success in the domestic cups this year.
He said “We had a taste of what we can do when we have a great run in the cup. I feel like we realised that we can compete for the trophies. I definitely realised that Tottenham are a sleeping giant and we have to find a way to get those trophies again. If we get a good result, we are actually just three games from a trophy.
“The experiences from last season, the way that we’ve played in the cups, we have found ways to win. We are taking steps and I really want to win a trophy with the fans at this club.Â
“We will do our best but we know that every game is tough in this competition. We are getting closer and closer and are getting better in cup games. The experience is good and hopefully, we can reach the final and use the learnings from the other final [in the FA Cup].”
Tottenham Hotspur’s Women’s League Cup group stage fixture at Crystal Palace kicks-off at 7pm this evening.