Hearts and Hibs women meet for the first time this season on Sunday in the Scottish Women’s Premier League and the game doubles as the first-leg of the inaugural Capital Cup, but there is do danger that clubs will not know how each other play, despite the changes in personnel made during the close season.
Eva Olid, Hearts manager, confirmed that said the coaching staff of both clubs do in-depth analysis on the opposition.
Both teams, she said, try to maintain possession of the ball, but Hearts fashion their style of play on the squad that they have and, so far this term, they have won six of their ten games, and six wins was what they achieved in the whole of last season.
That, said the club’s Spanish-born manager, shows their progression and Olid declared: “We now have new objectives.”
Hibs have scored more goals than Hearts so far this term, 20 against 14, and Olid said that was a part of the game they are working hard to improve, with emphasis on the final third of the pitch.
Hearts have lost only ten goals this term whole Hibs have lost 21 and Olid argued that that their defence is strong but she stressed: “We have to find a balance between defence and attack.
“There are no easy games, all the teams are well-prepared. All teams are so physical and so competitive. You have to work so hard to win every game.”
Hearts lost 3-0 to Celtic in their last outing on Sunday and Olid reported that they have no injury problems for Sunday (kick-off 16.10) but she said that some players are carrying knocks and the coaching staff have had to modify their training this week. Olid added: “We have now 25 players in the squad.”
There is heightened emphasis on the game as it is the first-leg of the Capital Cup. The second-leg is at Tynecastle in February, but the manager said that the fact that it is a cup clash does not alter her philosophy.
Olid said: “I have to work this week to prepare for a league game as we want to win every game. Every week we work so hard and we are not going to change the training because it is a Derby or for the cup.”
The Spanish-born manager said there is an extra dimension to the pre-match work this week, however, that that is because they are expecting to play in front of a record crowd with estimates around 10,000.
She said: “We have to show a stronger mental side, the crowd and the pressure and this is an extra thing. I am going to take that as positive for women’s football but this is a league match and tthe league is the top thing for me.”
The players also have to adapt to playing in a large-scale venue but she would love to see more women’s teams getting this type of opportunity to play on a big stage.
She is, however, realistic and said: “We know it is a long way, but if we play more in the men’s stadiums that would be good. In Spain they play more in men’s stadiums, like the Nou Camp (home of Barcelona FC). It is a natural progression to eventually use the men’s stadium, but we know that if we play every week in the men’s stadium we have to fill it.”to play there every week, but we need to fill it.”
Sunday’s game is sponsored by Edinburgh fund managers, Baillie Gifford, and fans must get their free tickets online ahead of the match, there is no walk-up admittance.
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