After securing their place in the Women’s Champions League final, Arsenal Women will return to domestic action for Wednesday’s league fixture against Aston Villa Women.
The Gunners occupy second place in the Women’s Super League table, while the Villans will head into the midweek fixture in 10th position.
Match preview
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Aston Villa boss Natalia Arroyo experienced a disappointing start to life as a WSL manager, losing her first five league games by a combined 13-1 scoreline.
However, Arroyo has since overseen an upturn in fortunes, having guided her team to consecutive away victories over Liverpool and Tottenham.
An 87th-minute own goal helped them clinch a 2-1 victory over Liverpool, before they looked to spurn a two-goal lead in their most recent outing against Spurs, as Anna Patten and Ebony Salmon saw their efforts cancelled out by Jessica Naz and Ella Morris.
However, Kirsty Hanson went on to score a stoppage-time winner to guide her team to a 3-2 victory, moving them seven points clear of basement side Crystal Palace.
Villa’s WSL status was confirmed at the weekend when Palace’s relegation was confirmed with a heavy 7-1 defeat against West Ham United, ensuring the Villans can already look forward to a sixth consecutive season in the top flight.
While they have secured safety, Aston Villa will still be keen to avoid a fifth consecutive home league defeat in Wednesday’s fixture.
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Arsenal will head into the midweek fixture in celebratory mood after they progressed to a European final for the first time since 2006-07 with a stunning 4-1 win in Sunday’s semi-final second leg against Lyon.
The Gunners overturned a 2-1 deficit from the first leg thanks to goals from Mariona Caldentey, Alessia Russo and Caitlin Foord after a Christiane Endler own goal had opened the scoring.
Renee Slegers‘s side will attempt to stop Barcelona from winning a third consecutive Women’s Champions League when the two teams meet in the final in Lisbon on May 24, but first, they must wrap up their domestic campaign with games against Aston Villa, Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester United.
They may still be harbouring faint hopes of making a late dash to win the Women’s Super League title, with the Gunners sitting six points adrift of leaders Chelsea, who will face third-placed Man United on Wednesday.
In truth, a first league title since 2019 will require a miracle, but Arsenal will still be keen to extend their WSL winning run to eight matches in Wednesday’s contest.
The Gunners have won each of their previous four competitive matches against Aston Villa, including a dominant 4-0 win in December’s reverse fixture at the Emirates Stadium.
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Team News
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Aston Villa defender Sarah Mayling remains sidelined with an ankle injury that has kept her out of the last four matches.
Captain Rachel Corsie is making good progress in her recovery from a long-term injury, although it is currently unclear when she will be ready to return to action.
Hanson is pushing for a starting spot after coming off the bench to score the winner in the recent 3-2 victory over Tottenham.
As for the visitors, they are expected to be without the services of defender Laia Codina and forward Lina Hurtig.
Lotte Wubben-Moy is available for selection after returning from injury to feature as a late substitute in Sunday’s memorable win against Lyon, and she could be given the chance to start Wednesday’s fixture, with Slegers likely to make several changes in a bid to freshen up her side following their European exploits.
The Arsenal boss could decide to present starting opportunities to Victoria Pelova, Lia Walti, Stina Blackstenius and Mead.
Aston Villa Women possible starting lineup:
D’Angelo; Parker, Patten, Maritz; Grant, Staniforth, Kearns, Pacheco; Hanson; Salmon, England
Arsenal Women possible starting lineup:
Van Domselaar; Fox, Williamson, Wubben-Moy, McCabe; Pelova, Walti; Mead, Maanum, Foord; Blackstenius
We say: Aston Villa Women 1-3 Arsenal Women
Arsenal’s main focus may be on next month’s UWCL final, but they will be keen to build momentum ahead of the showdown in Lisbon, and with that in mind, we think the Gunners will do enough to claim an eighth consecutive victory in Wednesday’s fixture.
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