Rosa Simkin (@rosatalksball)
Date – 19/01/24
Time – 19:00 (GMT)
Location – Pirelli Stadium, Burton
Where To Watch – The FA Player
My Prediction – Leicester City 2 – 1 Aston Villa
Aston Villa travel to face Leicester City in the Barclay’s Women’s Super League
Photo Credit – Matt McNulty, Getty Images.
Friday evening (19th Jan) will see the first women’s league fixture of the new year as 9th place Aston Villa travel to face 8th place Leicester City. Can Carla Ward’s struggling Villains find all three points, or will Willie Kirk’s Foxes come out, once again on top? Catch the latest team news, form guide and my predictions below.
Head to Head:
Total Matches – Nine: 7 (Aston Villa), 0 (Leicester City), 2 (Draws)
WSL Matches – Four: 4 (Aston Villa), 0 (Leicester City)
Leicester City Women:
The home-side have had a positive start to the season, after being highly involved with the relegation battle in the 2022/23 season. However, despite only 4 losses this year, they find themselves sitting just above Villa in 8th place on 10 points, with just 2 wins and 4 draws after they have struggled for goals and to hold their lead in games. Manager Willie Kirk will be hoping to see an improved attacking display from his side, off the back of a dominant 0 – 4 FA cup victory last weekend vs Northern Premier Division side, Derby County.
The Foxes have been busy so far this winter transfer window, signing Japan internationals Yuka Momiki (MF) & Saori Takarada (FW) from Linköpings FC in Sweden and both are available to potentially make their league debuts for the Foxes during tomorrows fixture after making their debut appearances for the side in the FA Cup last weekend. CJ Bott and Hannah Cain remain unavailable for the side however, with a calf and knee injury respectively.
Lena Petermann has been key this season, netting three in her last four.
Photo Credit – Marc Atkins (FA), Getty Images
It’s safe to say, although the performances from Kirk’s side have been positive compared to those of last season, they have been performances of missed opportunities, especially against three of the “big four” in the league. A difficult run of games saw Leicester face Manchester United then Manchester City then Liverpool followed closely by Arsenal consecutively in the league, with Chelsea coming soon after and although it was a positive start with a 1 – 1 draw with United an unfortunate theme with lost leads against Arsenal and Chelsea followed, as they entered half time in both games with a 2 – 0 lead against the giants but were unable to maintain the pressure against the London based sides, going on to lose 2 – 6 at home against Arsenal, and 5 – 2 away at Chelsea.
For me this Leicester side is one of huge potential, a good distribution of young talent and experience, as well as necessary additions in this transfer window. In addition a management team perfectly fit for the task, they are just missing the ability to control their performances, see out games and play 90 minutes at their best. Kirk only joined the side last summer and after steering the side out of the relegation zone last year, I reckon he can steer this team into a successful second half of the season and for me, Leicester are the significantly the more likely winners of tomorrow’s tie, taking victory over the Villain’s for the first time in WSL history.
“We’re looking at Friday and how we can give opportunity to get three points. It’s one we’re all excited for.” – Josie Green, Leicester City
Form:
Most Goal Involvements (23/24):
- Lena Petermann – 7 (4 goals, 3 assists)
- Jutta Rantala – 6 (4 goals, 2 assists)
- Sam Tierney – 4 (2 goals, 2 assists)
Aston Villa Women:
After achieving the best league table position in their history last season, where they placed 5th with 37 points from their 22 games, it is safe to say the Villain’s have struggled for form this season placing 9th in the league (of 12) as we approach the halfway point. Although, their league form has improved in more recent games, after being knocked out of the FA Cup on Saturday, I believe a victory against the Foxes tomorrow evening will prove crucial for Carla Ward’s future with the side and the path of the second half of the season, as the Villian’s hang dangerously close to the relegation battle.
The Birmingham based side have also struggled for goals this season, scoring just 12 this season in contrast to league leaders Chelsea’s 32 – that’s 1.20 goals per game and when you compare that to the 2.20 goals scored against the side per game the statistics are not on the side of the Villian’s.
Ward will be hoping for an all-round performance from her side tomorrow and Villa will also be looking to achieve their 3rd league clean sheet of the season. There is good news however for the Villains as Maz Pacheco (return from suspension) and Freya Gregory (cup-tied last weekend) re-enter the fold, both additions being a boost, especially Pacheco in defence as Villa will once again be without defenders Lucy Parker (Ankle Surgery) and Danielle Turner (Knee Injury). Winter signing Noelle Maritz from Arsenal had a positive debut last weekend in the cup vs Everton, where although playing out of position at left-back she put in a crucial shift and helped prevent a more significant score line.
Carla Ward’s side have struggled so far this season.
Photo Credits – Matthew Ashton, Getty Images
A victory in tomorrow’s game would see Villa leapfrog Leicester and go into 8th place, building a barrier between themselves and the relegation battle as they will hope to make their way up the table with 12 games remaining in the league this season and with their three league victories coming in the last 5 played, they will look to build on their recent, more positive form.
“The biggest thing for us is getting consistency. We can’t have really good days then really bad days like that (against Everton). The girls will be ready to get out their on Friday to deliver for the fans – because we didn’t on the weekend.” – Carla Ward, 17/01/24 Press Conference.
Form:
Most Goal Involvements (23/24):
- Rachel Daly – 12 (12 Goals, 0 Assists)
- Adriana Leon – 7 (3 Goals, 4 Assists)
- Ebony Salmon – 3 (3 Goals, 0 Assists)
Match Week 11 Fixtures (19th – 21st January) – All Times GMT
19th:
Leicester City vs Aston Villa – 19:00, The FA Player
20th:
Arsenal vs Everton – 14:00, The FA Player*
21st:
Chelsea vs Manchester United – 12:30, BBC Two**
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Bristol City – 14:00, The FA Player
Manchester City vs Liverpool – 14:30, Sky Sports**
West Ham United vs Tottenham Hotspur – 18:45, Sky Sports**
*International only, due to the 2:45 – 5:15 Blackout period the match will not be streamed live in the UK.*
**All games can also be streamed on the FA Player, Overseas only.**
WSL Table:
