Emma Hayes: Chelsea boss wants to enjoy final week with club

Spurs boss Robert Vilahamn praised Hayes as a “a big role model for women’s football” when speaking in his pre-match press conference on Tuesday.

But there is no room for sentiment and, after a 4-0 defeat by Manchester United in Sunday’s FA Cup final, Vilahamn sees this as the perfect game for his players to bounce back in.

“I like that this game comes now,” he said. “I like that we can bounce back, hopefully play some really good football and make sure we finish in a good way.

“In one way it’s good that we get this game so close to the other game. Sometimes you want to play and see if you can get back on the tracks. It’s Chelsea and it’s a big game for us.”

Chelsea were 2-1 winners when the sides met in October’s reverse fixture and Vilahamn believes his side are closing the gap between the WSL’s top sides.

While Wednesday’s game will have no bearing on Spurs’ league position having already secured a sixth-placed finish, Vilahamn is hungry to beat his London rivals.

He said: “When we get a chance to play against Chelsea and we can play without any pressure, in one way because we already know where we are going to end up in the table, that makes me even more brave to play the way we want to play.

“But we want to win this game, we want to compete and do everything we can.”