🏏 Sun, 27 Sep 2026 14:00 BST
Tottenham Hotspur Women
vs
Aston Villa Women
4-2-3-1 vs 4-2-3-1
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Match Preview
- Third-placed Tottenham, still unbeaten, host an Aston Villa side that are yet to win. Spurs have taken seven points from three matches (two wins, one draw), scoring 11 and conceding just two for a goal difference of +9, and sit within touching distance of leaders Manchester City, who have 12 points from four games. Villa arrive 11th on two points from two draws and a defeat, with only three goals scored and a goal difference of -3.
- Spurs' form has been emphatic. They thrashed Crystal Palace 7-0 away in matchday three, beat West Ham 3-1 at home on the opening weekend and were held only once, drawing 1-1 at Liverpool in round two. Eleven goals in three outings is among the best returns in the division, and this is only their second home fixture of the campaign.
- Two of Villa's three matches so far have come on the road, and both ended 1-1 — away at Chelsea on the opening day and away at Brighton in round three. Their only home game brought a 1-4 defeat to league leaders Manchester City, so resilience against a top-four side will again be the theme. Finding a way to add to their three goals is the bigger question.
- Kirsty Hanson faces her former club. The 28-year-old Scotland winger, capped 42 times with four international goals, spent time at Aston Villa before her move to north London, having previously come through Doncaster Rovers Belles and played for Manchester United. Her dribbling and delivery from wide areas make the duel down Villa's right flank one to watch.
- Toko Koga anchors the Spurs back line at 20. The Japan international joined from Feyenoord in July 2025 and became the club's youngest ever scorer at 19, having started all four matches for Japan at the 2024 Paris Olympics. At 173cm she offers aerial presence and progressive passing from centre-back, key ingredients in a defence that has conceded only twice.
- Villa field two Japanese internationals in their starting eleven. Goalkeeper Akane Okuma, 22, arrived from INAC Kobe Leonessa in July 2026 after winning WE League player-of-the-season honours in back-to-back campaigns and making her senior Japan debut in 2025. Ahead of her is 22-year-old Maya Hijikata, a WE League champion with Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Beleza who contributed seven goals and six assists there — setting up a Japanese head-to-head with Koga.
- Both sides line up in a 4-2-3-1, so the battle between the two double pivots should shape the contest. Spurs pair 33-year-old Jamaica international Drew Spence, a long-serving Chelsea player before her move, with Netherlands midfielder Victoria Pelova (27), a former Arsenal and Ajax player whose close control in tight spaces stands out. Villa answer with Millie Taylor, 26, who debuted for Chelsea at 16 and switched allegiance to Scotland in 2025, alongside ex-West Ham defender Lucy Parker.
- There is a strong Scandinavian flavour to the Spurs attack. Katinka Tandberg, a 22-year-old Norwegian striker signed from Hammarby in September 2025, leads the line with a reputation for finishing inside the box. Olivia Holt, the Denmark international who scored 25 goals in 47 games across two seasons at FC Rosengård, operates on the left, while left-footed Julie Blakstad — once Norway's record transfer when she joined Manchester City — provides cut-ins and crosses from the flank.
- Villa's rearguard brings serious international pedigree to the task of stopping that. Norway centre-back Mathilde Harviken, 24, joined from Juventus in the summer of 2026 having played at the 2023 World Cup and EURO 2025, and partners 178cm Republic of Ireland defender Anna Patten. The full-backs are Switzerland's Noelle Maritz, 30, a Champions League finalist with Arsenal and Wolfsburg, and Netherlands international Lynn Wilms, capped 56 times.
- The benches could prove decisive. Spurs can call on Eveliina Summanen, the 28-year-old Finland midfielder who holds the club's WSL assist record, Germany forward Shekiera Martinez, 25, and 21-year-old Matilda Nildén, sister of starter Amanda and a title winner with BK Häcken. Villa counter with Mia McAulay, the 19-year-old Scotland attacker signed from Rangers in June 2026 after 100-plus senior appearances, and French centre-back Oceane Deslandes, who made 66 appearances and scored four goals for Montpellier.