Aston Villavs.Leicester

The hosts and the visitors have both taken a point from their first three league games, leaving them in ninth and 10th place respectively.

Match preview

Aston Villa boss Robert de Pauw has experienced an underwhelming start to his tenure, with the Villans one of four clubs yet to win a league game this season.

The Villans kicked suffered a narrow 1-0 to WSL champions Chelsea, before they conceded in stoppage time to draw 2-2 in their opening home game against Tottenham Hotspur.

De Pauw would have been pleased to see his team clinch a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace in the Women's League Cup, but that result was quickly followed by a 4-2 league defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion.

Rachel Daly netted a brace to put Villa on course to clinch at least a point until Paula Tomas was shown a straight red card for a foul on Kiko Seike in the box.

Fran Kirby dispatched the subsequent spot-kick, before Michelle Agyemang added a fourth to condemn Villa to a second straight away defeat.

With the Villans desperate for a win, they can take inspiration from the fact they have won five of their six WSL matches against Leicester.

Like her opposite number, Leicester boss Amandine Miquel is still searching for her first win as a WSL manager.

Miquel began her tenure with a 1-1 draw against Liverpool, before she saw her side produce a battling display in a narrow 1-0 defeat to Arsenal.

Leicester went on to play out a draw in their Women's League Cup group match against Bristol City, who won the subsequent penalty shootout to take the bonus point instead of the Foxes.

Miquel would have been bitterly disappointed to see her side fall to a 2-0 home defeat in last Sunday's WSL home clash against newly-promoted Crystal Palace.

As a result of that loss, the Foxes have now gone 11 WSL matches since recording their most recent victory over Bristol City in February.

Leicester will be keen to produce a positive response this weekend, and while they are yet to beat Villa in the WSL, they did take a point from their previous head-to-head meeting in April.

Aston Villa Women Women's Super League form:

L

D

L

Aston Villa Women form (all competitions):

Leicester City Women Women's Super League form:

D

L

L

Leicester City Women form (all competitions):

Team News

Villa's Tomas will serve a three-match suspension after failing with an appeal to reduce the length of her ban.

With Tomas suspended, left-back Maz Pacheco could come into the side to make her first WSL start of the 2024-25 season.

The hosts are also expected to be without Rachel Corsie, Jill Baijings, Anna Leat and Georgia Mullett due to injury.

Daly will continue to lead the line for the Villans, with the striker looking to add to the three goals she has scored this season.

As for the Foxes, Miquel has confirmed that she has no fresh injury concerns, but she is still unable to call upon Hannah Cain, Lena Petermann and Shannon O'Brien.

Goalkeeper Janina Leitzig made her first WSL appearance of the season last weekend, and she looks set to retain her place ahead of Lize Kop.

Miquel may be tempted to make a couple of changes to her outfield players with Yuka Momiki and Shana Chossenotte among those who could be considered for starting spots.

Aston Villa Women possible starting lineup:

D'Angelo; Maritz, Patten, Parker, Pacheco; Nobbs, Kearns; Grant, Dali, Hanson; Daly

Leicester City Women possible starting lineup:

Leitzig; Bott, Howard, Thibaud, Cayman; Tierney, Momiki, Mace; Rantala, Chossenotte, Mouchon

We say: Aston Villa Women 3-1 Leicester City Women

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