Bristol Academy WFC

Bristol Academy host Eveton Ladies on Saturday at their Stoke Gifford Stadium for their final home WSL league match of the season.

Coming off the back of two away wins the Academy know a win will take them above Chelsea and into fourth place, but their opponents coming off the back of a home defeat to Lincoln know they must pick up the three points to keep their faint title hopes alive. Vixens manager Mark Sampson talked about the excitement amongst the squad for Saturdays match but also was quick to remind everyone they a very strong Everton side.

"We know on Saturday playing against Everton we face a massive challenge, they have many experienced Internationals and have been together as a group for a long time so they have that understanding on the pitch which makes them a very difficult opponent. But it is a challenge we are really excited by, we feel it is coming at a time when we have excellent momentum and the group is in a very strong moment. When this is the situation you are always looking for the next challenge and that is Saturday for us in front of our own supporters which is always something special and something this group really takes inspiration from. Coming off the back of two wins means we come into the game with high a high level of confidence and reaffirmed belief in our philosophy but we know we face a big challenge against a fantastic Everton team.

"The levels of our performances since the start of the second half of the season have been very high and the group are very comfortable in our system and their roles in the team. We need to focus on that again Saturday make sure our individual performance levels are right and show the courage and belief to be true to ourselves against a very strong opponent. This group have been fantastic all season but with more belief and courage they can reach greater heights, we are starting to see that belief in training sessions and more importantly on the pitch. With belief this group can unlock their potential and reach new levels, we are on the right track to achieve this objective and will take Saturday as another opportunity to move closer to the performance levels we believe we can reach."

After a busy period of fixtures the Vixens have managed to come through this schedule with a pretty much fully fit squad which the manager is extremely pleased about.

"Again we don't think Michelle Green will be match fit for Saturday but she is getting very close now to being available but the rest of the group look very fresh and sharp which is very pleasing at this stage of the season. As importantly the group is still showing great hunger to continue to work hard and be competitive, there is always a freshness about them building up to matches which gives us a great energy on the pitch particularly at home."