🏏 Sun, 28 Sep 2025 12:00 BST
Leicester City Women
vs
Tottenham Hotspur Women
Positions estimated (no formation data from the API)
Substitutes
Substitutes
Match Preview
- Leicester defender Asmita Ale lines up against the club she left behind. The 23-year-old centre-back came through Aston Villa's academy before a spell at Tottenham, and became the first player of Nepalese heritage to turn professional in England's top women's division. Morocco international Rosella Ayane, another former Spurs forward, waits on the Leicester bench, giving the hosts two players with inside knowledge of the opposition.
- Tottenham's goalkeeper makes the same trip in reverse. Netherlands international Lize Kop moved from Ajax to Leicester before settling in north London, and at 173cm she relies on reflexes and positioning rather than sheer reach. At the other end stands Janina Leitzig, the 183cm German shot-stopper who came through Bayern Munich and Hoffenheim and was voted Leicester's player of the year.
- Toko Koga is the headline act for Japanese viewers. The 19-year-old centre-back joined Spurs in July 2025 from Feyenoord, having been schooled at the JFA Academy Fukushima, and has already set the club's record as its youngest ever scorer. She started all four matches for Japan at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and her 173cm frame and comfort in possession make her the side's link between defending and building.
- Leicester's wide pair share a common thread: both came through Everton. Heather Payne, the Republic of Ireland international who spent four years at Florida State, brings pace and crossing accuracy on the right, while Wales forward Hannah Cain, who signed her first professional deal at Everton, cuts inside from the left onto her stronger foot. Cain's direct opponent is Amanda Nilden, the Sweden left-sided defender who arrived from Juventus in 2024 and featured at Euro 2022.
- The midfield battle pits two 32-year-olds against each other. Emily van Egmond has 163 caps for Australia, won back-to-back Bundesliga titles with Wolfsburg and lifted the 2010 AFC Women's Asian Cup, and she sets Leicester's tempo with her range of passing. Tottenham answer with Jamaica international Drew Spence, a long-serving Chelsea midfielder before her 2022 move, and Finland's Eveliina Summanen, the club's record WSL assist provider.
- Spurs captain Bethany England carries the visitors' goal threat. She won both the WSL Player of the Year and PFA Player of the Year awards during her Chelsea days and joined Tottenham in January 2023 for a then-record domestic fee of £250,000. Leicester's answer is a centre-back pairing of Belgium's Sari Kees, who began her career as a goalkeeper before converting to defence, and France-born Julie Thibaud, who established herself at Bordeaux.
- There is fresh blood in Tottenham's attack too. Katinka Tandberg, a 21-year-old Norwegian striker from Oslo, only arrived from Hammarby in September 2025 and is valued for her finishing inside the box. Alongside her is Denmark's Olivia Holt, who scored 25 goals in 47 games over two seasons at Rosengard and marked her January 2025 debut with a free-kick. How quickly that young front line clicks may decide the visitors' output.
- Leicester's leader is club captain Sam Tierney. After spells at Sheffield United and Doncaster Rovers Belles, she has gone on to set Leicester's all-time appearance record and scored the goal that sealed their promotion to the WSL. The bench also holds Chantelle Swaby, the 27-year-old Jamaica centre-back with World Cup experience who has won league titles with Fleury 91 in France and Rangers in Scotland.
- Both benches carry genuine weight. Tottenham can call on Maite Oroz, the Spain midfielder who served as vice-captain at Real Madrid and made 146 appearances there, plus Finland's Olga Ahtinen, a 75-cap international who played at Euro 2022. Leicester counter with Jutta Rantala, who was both top scorer and player of the year in Finland's top flight in 2019, and 22-year-old Noemie Mouchon, scorer of nine goals in 22 games for Reims.