By Valentine Ikpoba
Liverpool Women host Tottenham Hotspur at BrewDog Stadium on Sunday, September 13, with a 2pm BST kick-off, live on Sky Sports and the WSL YouTube channel. Fresh off a commanding 4-0 opening day win over Charlton, Gareth Taylor's side will be looking to make it back-to-back wins and cement themselves at the top of the WSL table early in the season.
Match Context
Liverpool came into the new season with a point to prove, and their performance against Charlton on Matchday 1 was exactly the kind of statement they needed to make. Grace Fisk scored twice, Vivien Endemann marked her debut with a goal, and Cornelia Kapocs added a penalty to put the tone down early. The mood around the club is noticeably different from twelve months ago.
Tottenham arrive having won their opening fixture, winning 3-1 against West Ham at home on Matchday 1. Martin Ho's side finished eighth in the WSL last season and will be looking to finish higher than they did this season. A trip to a Liverpool side in this kind of form is a stern test, but Spurs have players capable of causing problems on the counter.
Team News
Liverpool head into this fixture carrying their injury concerns from Matchday 1. Anna Josendal remains out with a hamstring injury. Mari Ward and Lucy Parry are both still doubts, Sophie Roman Haug is unavailable, and Mao Itamura continues her recovery.
For Tottenham, Alice Sombath is touch and go for the fixture. The defender arrived from OL Lyonnesse in July and has been managed carefully since joining. Martin Ho confirmed on Friday morning that she trained fully on Tuesday and Wednesday but that he will assess her condition before making a decision. "We've got to see," Ho told the media. "She's trained Tuesday and Wednesday fully, and we'll see what she does. I'm not someone who's going to push people through when they're just coming back into full training." Multiple absentees from last match against West Ham with Buhler, Hunt, Naz, Oroz down injured
Key players to watch
Grace Fisk will be looking forward to adding to her 2 goals in matchday 1, alongside Beata Olsson, who didn't score in last game but was Liverpool's top scorer last season. She did not get on the scoresheet against Charlton, but her movement and link-up play created space for those around her. Against a Tottenham side looking to sit deep and frustrate, her ability to hold the ball up and bring others into the game will be just as important as any goal she scores.
For Tottenham, Matilda Vinberg is the player Liverpool will need to keep quiet. The Swedish midfielder has the creativity and vision to unlock defences on the counter, and if Spurs are to take anything from this game, it will likely come through her. She will be the one looking to find gaps between Liverpool's midfield and defence on the break.
Predicted XI
Liverpool Women: Khiara Keating; Ceri Holland, Grace Fisk, Jenna Clark, Risa Shimizu; Fuka Nagano, Samantha Kerr; Kirsty MacLean, Cornelia Kapocs, Vivien Endemann; Beata Olsson
Tottenham Hotspur Women; Kop, Dijkstra, A. Nilden, Gaupset, Tandberg, Vinberg, Hanson, Spence (c), Summanen, Koga, Blakstad.
Prediction and Match Outlook
Liverpool are in excellent form and playing at home in front of their own fans for the first time this season. Tottenham will be organised and will look to absorb pressure before hitting on the counter, but Liverpool's quality across the pitch should see them through. After the 4-0 statement on Matchday 1, the Reds will be eager to back it up.
Liverpool Women 2-0 Tottenham Hotspur Women
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