Crystal Palace Women head into their meeting with Tottenham Hotspur on the back of pre-match comments from manager Jo Potter, refreshed here on 4 October 2026 for supporters wanting the latest line in one place. Nothing below is new team news; it is a clean recap of what Potter said heading into the fixture.
Her remarks followed a hard-fought draw with Arsenal the previous weekend, and they cover three things fans keep asking about: Pauline Peyraud-Magnin’s form, the size of the challenge Tottenham pose, and how fit Crystal Palace Women’s squad is right now.
Potter’s praise for Pauline Peyraud-Magnin
Potter picked out her goalkeeper for special mention after the Arsenal draw. Peyraud-Magnin’s move to Palace had gone largely unnoticed when it happened, Potter said, but her displays since have explained exactly why the club brought her in.
I think a lot of people commented that her transfer went under the radar, but we said we wanted experience to bring into this squad for this league, and she definitely has that. It’s great to have a keeper between the sticks making save after save in moments like Sunday, that’s exactly why you bring her in.
Potter described a heroic display from Peyraud-Magnin, who was making save after save as Palace held out for their point.
Tottenham’s quality and Palace’s response
Potter was clear-eyed about the scale of the task Spurs present. She pointed to manager Martin Ho’s record and the way the club has backed him to strengthen the squad year on year.
Tottenham are a really strong outfit – they keep getting stronger each transfer window. You can see the quality and efficiency of the players they bring in, and they’ve got a style of play that’s difficult to go against with how intense they play. Martin’s done an excellent job. Wherever he’s been, he’s shown that expectation of wanting to win football games… He took Spurs onto the next level with the backing of the club. What they’ve shown over the last few years is their consistent ability to push and grow their squad and team… That’s the way we want to go and follow suit.
Potter’s point reached beyond this single fixture. She wants Palace to copy that growth, on the pitch and off it, over the seasons ahead.
Palace’s approach and squad update
Asked about her own team’s identity, Potter rejected the idea that there is only one way to win a game.
We want to be a team that can play different ways. I don’t think there’s just one way to win a football game.
That flexibility matters because Crystal Palace Women go into this match with a fully fit squad, giving Potter options she did not always have earlier in the season. Tickets for the game remain available for supporters as of this update.
What happens next
Potter’s comments were made ahead of the fixture and nothing here changes once the match is played, so this piece stands as the pre-match record of her thinking on Peyraud-Magnin, Tottenham and her own squad. Supporters can read her full remarks in the original Palace preview.
For those following the rest of the club’s programme, our latest preview covers the first team’s midweek fixture, while team news coverage looks ahead to the Leeds game. The current squad guide and recent Palace context on Adam Wharton are worth a look too if you want the wider picture across the club this season.
