Fixtures
- Chelsea Women Vs. Aston Villa Women – Fri, Sep 20th 2024, 19:00
At A Glance
Aston Villa get the 2024/25 Women’s Super League season underway as they travel to take on reigning champions Chelsea at Kingsmeadow this evening.
The highly anticipated return of the top flight of Women’s football finally kicks-off this weekend and a new look Villa side will be looking to make their mark.
Robert de Pauw will become the first Dutch head coach in a WSL dugout this season and him and his side will be looking to get the new season underway with a win to show what they have been working on in pre-season.
Villa have gone unbeaten throughout the summer as they have picked up four wins and a draw. Three of their victories have come over WSL opponents as they have defeated Liverpool, Everton and Manchester City, scoring six goals along the way and only conceding two.
Chelsea come into the fixture with a new face in the dugout also as French coach Sonia Bompastor took over the reins from Emma Hayes this summer. The side have also recruited plenty of new faces throughout pre-season as they have added the likes of Lucy Bronze and Sandy Baltimore to their ranks.
The Last Meeting
Chelsea came out on top in the last meeting between the two sides back in April as they defeated Villa 3-0 away from home.
Goals from Aggie Beever-Jones, Maika Hamano and Kadeisha Buchanana did the job for the hosts as Villa were unable to find any reply.
Sophia Poor made her senior debut at only 17-years-old between the sticks during the fixture and went onto be nominated for WSL Player of the Month.
Team News
After recruiting eight new Villans during the summer plenty of faces can make their compeititve club debut this evening.
Paula Tomàs joined the club from Levante back in July and has already caught supporters’ eyes with her performances at left back. The Spaniard has scored one goal during pre-season whilst forcing two own goals from her dangerous crosses against Everton and Manchester City.
Jill Baijings, one of de Pauw’s summer recruits, won’t be in line to make her debut this evening as she continues her rehibilation after suffering a back injury in the early stages of pre-season training.
Young striker Georgia Mullett also remains out.
“We need to be ready for the moments that will come. It won’t always be the wind in our sails, it will also be against us in some moments. Then you will truly see if there is a team or not. But at the moment I see good signs that there is a team here.” – Robert de Pauw
