‘We do expect a tough challenge’ – Everton boss Phelan looks ahead to Crystal Palace game

Everton manager Scott Phelan anticipates a challenging encounter against newly-promoted Crystal Palace in the opening match of the Barclays Women's Super League season. The Toffees will travel to Crystal Palace's VBS Community Stadium to kick off the new league campaign. Crystal Palace secured promotion to the top flight at the end of the previous season, and Phelan believes the Eagles will bring a strong mentality to the match.

"It's a tough game," Phelan stated during a pre-match press conference. "We are playing a newly-promoted team who are at home. It'll be an occasion for them and rightly so. Their mentality will be used to winning after last season." Phelan acknowledges that Everton faces all three promoted sides in their first five games, but he doesn't consider this as an advantage.

He explains that every team, both newly-promoted and long-standing clubs, tends to be at their most optimistic in the early stages of the season. Phelan emphasizes that the motivation of the newly-promoted teams is to prove themselves and demonstrate they deserve to be in the league. He stresses that the newly-promoted teams' heightened ambition shouldn't pose a significant challenge to Everton.

Instead, Phelan's main goal is for his team to be competitive in every game. He wants the team to develop its identity as they progress through the season, with the ambition of being competitive against all opponents, particularly those in their immediate geographical vicinity. Everton's Barclays Women's Super League fixture against Crystal Palace is scheduled to commence at 2pm on Sunday.