Crystal Palace return to Selhurst Park on Sunday with their unbeaten start to the Women’s Super League season facing another test against Tottenham Hotspur.
Palace followed their opening 1-0 victory over Everton with an impressive 0-0 draw away at Arsenal. Jo Potter’s side faced 30 shots at the Emirates but defended with determination, while goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin produced several important saves.
Tottenham are also unbeaten. Martin Ho’s side opened with a 3-1 victory over West Ham United before earning a 1-1 draw away at Liverpool. Something will therefore have to give when two of the WSL’s unbeaten sides meet in South London.
Match information
- Fixture: Crystal Palace vs Tottenham Hotspur
- Competition: Women’s Super League
- Date: Sunday, 20 September 2026
- Kick-off: 2:00pm UK
- Venue: Selhurst Park
How to watch Crystal Palace vs Tottenham Hotspur
The match will be available live in the UK on Sky Sports+. International coverage varies by territory, while the match is also listed for coverage on the Sky Sports WSL YouTube channel in selected regions.
Watching from outside the UK? Try the WSL YouTube, W Sport or read our article on where to watch the WSL.
Crystal Palace proving difficult to break down
Four points and two clean sheets represents an excellent start following Palace’s return to the WSL. Their performance against Arsenal showed why.
Palace spent much of the afternoon defending their own penalty area, but Teyah Goldie and Molly Bartrip repeatedly made crucial interventions in front of Peyraud-Magnin.
The French goalkeeper was outstanding when Arsenal did break through, denying the likes of Lisa Baum, Stina Blackstenius and Emily Fox. Palace have now gone 180 minutes without conceding and are one of only two teams, alongside Arsenal, yet to allow a WSL goal this season.
The challenge on Sunday will be producing more at the other end. Palace showed very little attacking threat at the Emirates, but a home match against Tottenham should provide more opportunities to play on the front foot.
Tottenham make encouraging start
Tottenham have also collected four points from their opening two matches. Kirsty Hanson scored twice on her debut as Spurs defeated West Ham 3-1 before Martin Ho’s team travelled to Liverpool.
Spurs took the lead at Anfield but eventually had to settle for a 1-1 draw. Ho admitted afterwards that there were areas of the performance that needed improvement, particularly after Liverpool were able to build pressure.
He expects another difficult afternoon at Selhurst Park and highlighted Palace’s defensive organisation and their ability to cause problems in one-on-one situations. For Tottenham, Sunday provides an opportunity to turn a positive start into a very good one.
Crystal Palace vs Tottenham team news
Tottenham received positive news on Cathinka Tandberg, who was withdrawn against Liverpool with a dead leg. Ho confirmed she has returned to training and is expected to be available.
There could also be a Tottenham debut for Alice Sombath. The summer arrival has now returned to full training and is available for selection after Spurs carefully managed her workload during the opening weeks.
However, Jess Naz, Maite Oroz and Clare Hunt remain unavailable. Palace have not reported a significant new injury issue ahead of Sunday’s match. Potter’s team came through a demanding afternoon against Arsenal, giving her the option of retaining much of the side that earned the clean sheet at the Emirates.
Predicted line-ups
Palace have little reason to make major changes following their performance against Arsenal, although Potter could look for a slightly more attacking approach at home.
Crystal Palace predicted XI:
Peyraud-Magnin; Goldie, Everett, Bartrip; Lloyd-Smith, Larkin, Hopcroft, Napier; Tsunoda, Blanchard; O’Brien.
For Tottenham, Tandberg’s expected availability is a boost, while Sombath gives Ho another defensive option.
Tottenham predicted XI:
Kop; Blakstad, Nildén, Koga, Dijkstra; Hanson, Spence, Summanen; Vinberg, Gaupset, Martinez.
What to expect
Crystal Palace’s defensive record makes this a fascinating test for Tottenham Hottspur. The visitors should see more of the ball than Palace did against Arsenal, but breaking down Potter’s compact defence could be difficult. Palace have already demonstrated that they are comfortable spending long periods without possession.
The home side will also need to offer more attacking threat than they managed at the Emirates. One player with an interesting connection to the fixture is Molly Bartrip. The Palace defender spent five seasons with Tottenham before moving across London and will now face her former club.
If Palace can reproduce last weekend’s defensive performance while becoming more dangerous in transition, this could be another very close contest.
Prediction
Crystal Palace 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur
There has been little between the teams over the opening two weekends. Tottenham possess more attacking threat, but Palace’s organisation and two consecutive clean sheets are difficult to ignore.
A third Palace clean sheet would not be surprising, but Spurs have enough quality going forward to finally breach that defence. A draw feels the most likely outcome.
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