Renée Slegers stays on as the interim head coach of Arsenal women after the international break. After the EURO 2025 play-offs there are mixed emotions within the team, but Slegers urges them to get back to the Arsenal way. Head manager Robert de Pauw says his team is the underdog and they have “nothing to lose”. The last time the teams faced off, Arsenal won by 1-3. Let’s find out about the possible line-up, statistics and where you can watch Arsenal vs Aston Villa.
Arsenal vs Aston Villa
Arsenal vs Aston Villa: Possible Line-ups
The possible line-ups are derived from previous match days. We take into consideration how strong the opponents are, what players are injured and of course team news before the match.
Team News Arsenal
Renée Slegers gave a squad update in her recent pre-match press conference: “Lia (Wälti) is recovering well, still in Switzerland, we’ll see when she comes back. Steph Catley, in the building, trained for full session and looked good.”
The head coach also had good news about the long-term absentees, Pelova and Ilestedt: “They’re both progressing really well, it’s nice to have Amanda back in the building, together with a little baby, so it’s a nice addition I think, it brings a new dynamic in the restaurant. Amanda was back on the training pitch today, it will take some time to build this up, it’s a big thing to a female body to give birth. But she’s doing really well, and there’s no specific time frame that I can share with you guys now. For Vic, she was training with us, we had a couple of players injured in the international break, and Vic did some bits of sessions with the rest of the players which was very positive.”
What the coach has to say
Slegers is not underestimating Aston Villa even though they are in eight place: “I think Aston Villa is a great team, I think if you look at their results, it’s been one goal difference except for the Brighton game. They always make it hard for their opponents, like us they always have strong game-changers that they bring into the game, they’re also strong at the end of the game so I think it’s a game we don’t want to underestimate, I think it’s a very strong opponent, every opponent is strong in the WSL, it’s been developing massively, Aston Villa in particular, so it’s going to be a good opponent that we face on Sunday.”
Our prediction of the Starting IX for Arsenal against Aston Villa:
14 Daphne van Domselaar
2 Emily Fox
6 Leah Williamson
7 Steph Catley
11 Katie McCabe
13 Lia Wälti
10 Kim Little
19 Caitlin Foord
12 Frida Maanum
8 Mariona Caldentey
23 Alessia Russo
Birmingham, England, 18th May 2024. Rachel Daly of Aston Villa (r) celebrates scoring to equalise during The FA Women’s Super League match at Villa Park, Birmingham. Picture credit should read: Andrew Yates / Sportimage – Photo by Icon Sport " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/womenfootball.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/ICONSPORT\_224745\_0019-1.jpg?fit=300%2C214&quality=89&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/womenfootball.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/ICONSPORT\_224745\_0019-1.jpg?fit=1024%2C731&quality=89&ssl=1" src="https://i0.wp.com/womenfootball.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/ICONSPORT\_224745\_0019-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&quality=89&ssl=1" alt class="wp-image-6118" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/womenfootball.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/ICONSPORT\_224745\_0019-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C731&quality=89&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/womenfootball.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/ICONSPORT\_224745\_0019-1.jpg?resize=300%2C214&quality=89&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/womenfootball.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/ICONSPORT\_224745\_0019-1.jpg?resize=768%2C549&quality=89&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/womenfootball.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/ICONSPORT\_224745\_0019-1.jpg?resize=1536%2C1097&quality=89&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/womenfootball.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/ICONSPORT\_224745\_0019-1.jpg?resize=2048%2C1463&quality=89&ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/womenfootball.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/ICONSPORT\_224745\_0019-1.jpg?resize=1200%2C857&quality=89&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/womenfootball.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/ICONSPORT\_224745\_0019-1.jpg?w=3000&quality=89&ssl=1 3000w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px">
Team News Aston Villa
We expect a squad update from Robert de Pauw today.
What the coach has to say:
Robert de Pauw was asked during his pre-match press conference how he feels about going up against Arsenal: “I think it’s a big team, great names in the team. Like I said before when we played the top four; we are the underdogs. They play at home, we had City away, Chelsea away, Manchester United away, now Arsenal away. I think these are, if you look at it factual, the most difficult games away from home. We have nothing to lose.”
How do you handle international break: “It’s always that you have to wait and see how they come back. Switzerland had a tough loss against Germany, Ireland tough loss, Scotland tough loss. So, you have to help the players pick themselves up and support them. But other players come back more happy because they had good results. That is always the case; you have to wait and see. Normally you want to train very well when you play Arsenal, but you don’t always get the opportunity because they are still not only recovering fitness wise but are also mentally recovering.”
Our prediction of the Starting IX for Aston Villa against Arsenal:
1 Sabrina D’Angelo
33 Pacheco
14 Turner
4 Anna Patten
16 Noëlle Maritz
11 Katie Robinson
25 Taylor
7 Missy Bo Kearns
19 Adriana Leon
10 Kenza Dali
17 Ebony Salmon
Arsenal vs Aston Villa: Statistics
Arsenal and Aston Villa went head-to-head ten times before in the Women’s Super League and Women’s League Cup. The Gunner won eight matches and Aston Villa one (away in 2023).
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I watch the Women’s Super League Arsenal vs Aston Villa?
Arsenal vs Aston Villa is live on the Barclays WSL Youtube. For our Dutch fans: Ziggo Sports required the rights to broadcast the WSL in the Netherlands.
When was the last meeting between Arsenal vs Aston Villa?
The teams went head-to-head in the WSL on the 24th of March 2024. Arsenal won by 1-3 after Ebony Salmon opened the score in the first half. Pelova equalized, Wubben-Moy’s goal secured the lead and Blackstenius sent it home.
What is Arsenal vs Aston Villa kick-off time?
Arsenal and Aston Villa kick off on Sunday the 8h of December at 14:00 GMT at the Emirates Stadium.