Aston Villavs.Chelsea

Natalia Arroyo will take charge of her first game as Villa boss after being named as Robert de Pauw's successor last week.

Match preview

Aston Villa are set to begin a new era under former Real Sociedad manager Arroyo, who was appointed on a three-and-a-half-year deal ahead of the club's recent meeting with Manchester City.

Shaun Goater took charge of his fifth and final game as interim boss against the Citizens, overseeing a 4-2 home defeat at Villa Park to finish his caretaker spell with three wins, one draw and one defeat in five competitive matches.

Arroyo now officially takes over a side that are sitting in ninth position in the WSL table, having collected 10 points from their 12 league games this season.

The 38-year-old faces an almighty task in her first WSL match as manager, with Villa looking to become the first team to beat Chelsea in a competitive game this season.

In truth, Villa would be more than pleased with a point, especially as they have lost each of their previous nine WSL matches against the Blues.

Chelsea took a significant step towards winning a sixth consecutive WSL title with a narrow 1-0 win over Arsenal last weekend.

The Blues looked set to play out a goalless affair with their London rivals until Lauren James won a penalty to give Guro Reiten the chance to go to the penalty spot.

The substitute held her nerve to dispatch the 84th-minute spot-kick, guiding Chelsea to their 11th win in 12 league games (D1) to leave them with a seven-point cushion over Manchester United in second place.

The result also extended Chelsea's unbeaten record under Sonia Bompastor, who has overseen 19 wins and just one draw since taking over the reins from Emma Hayes in the summer.

Impressively, the Blues are yet to concede a competitive goal in 2025 courtesy of four consecutive clean sheets, and they will fancy their chances of recording another shutout in Sunday's contest after winning their last five competitive matches against Villa by a combined 14-0 scoreline.

Aston Villa Women Women's Super League form:

D

W

L

W

D

L

Aston Villa Women form (all competitions):

Chelsea Women Women's Super League form:

W

W

W

D

W

W

Chelsea Women form (all competitions):

Team News

The hosts are likely to be without Rachel Corsie, Lucy Staniforth-Wilson and Missy Bo Kearns due to injury.

Paula Tomas could replace Maz Pacheco at left-back after dropping down to the bench for last Saturday's defeat to Man City.

Rachel Daly will continue to offer one of Villa's main attacking threats after scoring five goals in 12 league appearances this season.

As for the visitors, they are unable to call upon Kadeisha Buchanan, Aniek Nouwen, Sophie Ingle, Mia Fishel and Sam Kerr.

Mayra Ramirez will have to be assessed after being forced off at half time in last Sunday's narrow win against Arsenal.

Recent addition Naomi Girma may have to wait for her Chelsea debut, with the defender currently nursing a calf issue.

It also remains to be seen whether Keira Walsh will be available for selection after completing a permanent transfer from European champions Barcelona.

Aston Villa Women possible starting lineup:

D'Angelo; Mayling, Patten, Turner, Tomas; Nobbs, Bayings; Grant, Hanson, Salmon; Daly

Chelsea Women possible starting lineup:

Hampton; Bronze, Bjorn, Bright, Charles; Nusken, Cuthbert; Rytting Kaneryd, Hamano, James; Macario

We say: Aston Villa Women 1-3 Chelsea Women

Written by

Ben Sully

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