February 16th sees the return of the Pinatar Cup, which this year pits Wales against its current holders: Scotland. Wales will be hungry to prove themselves, and will naturally want to beat a rival so close to home.

For Wales, this competition has come at the right time. It’s the perfect opportunity to further integrate some younger players on the international stage. Players like Esther Morgan, Carrie Jones, Ceri Holland, Josie Green & maybe even one of their backup keepers in Olivia Clark or Poppy Soper.

It’s paramount this time is taken to build a strong and cohesive side. April sees the beginning of the next international window, in which Wales are going to be back in action for the World Cup Qualifiers: a competition in which they’re scheduled to play France, who sit atop the table, and are yet to lose a game.

During the previous international window in November, Wales played France and lost a respectable 0-2, the only loss they suffered in the cup run up to that point.

The Pinatar cup is also a good time to rest some of the busier WSL players who’ve had a pretty hectic schedule, such as: Sophie Ingle, and the Reading trio of Gemma Evans, Natasha Harding and Lily Woodham.  While we see an early return to football for NWSL players Angharad James and Jess Fishlock, as their league returns in a few weeks.

A major problem that manager Gemma Grainger will no doubt have high in her list of priorities, finding goalscorers- especially if Wales are to make it through the World cup. The two highest scorers have 75 goals between them, but both are 35 years of age, and may retire in the near future. The next 11 highest goal scorers for Wales have a combined 58 goals between them, and whilst some of those 58 goals are relatively recent, Wales’ newer strikers are not yet up to standard. This competition is an excellent opportunity to test the likes of Ceri Holland, Carrie Jones, Elsie Hughes and Esther Morgan.  Fans know they can produce, but they must start to show it.

A safe prediction is that O’ Sullivan will play all, if not most, of the games this tournament, and would in doing so likely hit her 50 goal mark. It’s equally safe to assume Helen Ward will hit her 100 cap goal this tournament, as she’s currently sitting at the 97 mark.

After the Game against Scotland, Wales will either face Belgium or Slovakia, two teams  Wales will want to perform well against, as they have both qualified for the World Cup.

While Wales can feel relatively confident in this game if they end up finding their groove, Scotland’s attacking power may well be their undoing. Players like Claire Emslie, Jane Ross and Erin Cuthbert (barring injury) will present many tricky situations for Wales to defend in. Scotland’s defence will also almost certainly include Jen Beattie and Rachel Corsie, who Wales must physically challenge in order to break through. Wales will also have to be on the look out for Caroline Weir, who is likely going to be putting in as big of a performance for Scotland as she has recently for Manchester City.

Prefered Lineup v Scotland

O’Sullivan

R. Rowe, Ladd, Esther Morgan ,R. Roberts 

An. James, Fishlock, J. Green

K. Green, C. Jones, C. Holland

Expected Lineup v Scotland

O’ Sullivan

R. Rowe, Ladd, G. Evans, R. Roberts

An. James, J. Fishlock, Harding, Ingle, C. Holland

K. Green

Game Kick Off – Wednesday 16th February – 14:30 EST