Preview: Aston Villa v Arsenal Women

We're back in Barclays Women's Super League action on Wednesday as we face Aston Villa at Villa Park in a 6pm kick-off.

Bouyant from our UEFA Women's Champions League success, reaching the final last weekend, attention now turns to continuing to compete at the top of the WSL with the hope that Chelsea slip up in their remaining fixtures.

The Blues, currently six points ahead of us with the same goal difference, are away to Manchester United at 8.15pm, kicking off shortly after our game is expected to finish.

VIEW ON VILLA

It’s been a disappointing season for Villa, who have four wins, four draws and 11 defeats from 19 games.

The campaign began with Robert de Pauw in charge, but he was replaced by interim head coach Shaun Goater in December following a run of just one win in the opening nine WSL matches, culminating in a 4-0 defeat to us at Emirates Stadium.

Goater was at the helm for two league games - a 3-1 win at home to West Ham United and a 1-1 draw in Everton - before Natalia Arroyo was appointed to the top role.

Her tenure got off to a frustrating start, however, losing her first six league games, but a corner was turned with a 2-1 win at Liverpool, followed by a 3-2 victory away to Tottenham Hotspur in their last game.

Rachel Daly is the club’s top scorer this season with 10 goals in all competitions, having made 25 appearances.

WHAT THE MANAGERS SAY

Slegers: “It's a good team. They've secured their spot in the league for next year, so I guess they're happy with that. They've changed their structure a little bit. Of course, they come from two wins in the league and I think they will be free in the way they will try to take on the game tomorrow.

“So we are very aware of what they can bring to the game and where they come from. So we need to be 100% focused and concentrated on what we need to do tomorrow.”

Arroyo: “We are excited, we want to play at home. It's been quite a long time since we played in our stadium and the context is totally different. We know it will be difficult because Arsenal are winning with huge results.

“They'll be happy for reaching the final of the Champions League, such a historic moment for them, but we're also in a good moment. The fans are asking for goals to celebrate things with us."

TEAM NEWS

We have no fresh team news concerns following the weekend's trip to Lyon, while Villa are set to be without five first-team players. Lucy Parker (leg), Lucy Staniforth (ankle) and Gabi Nunes (back) are all ruled out, while Sarah Mayling (ankle) and Paula Tomàs (hip) are also unavailable.

FACTS AND STATS

We have won all four of our Women’s Super League away games against Aston Villa, scoring 3+ goals in each victory (15 goals total).

We have scored 3+ goals in each of our last seven Women’s Super League games (29 goals) with only ourselves in November 2018 (10) and Manchester City in January 2018 (8) ever scoring more than twice in more consecutive WSL matches.

We have scored five goals in three of our nine WSL games in 2025, already as often as we did across the whole of 2024 (22 games). Only in 2018/19 (5 times) have we hit 5+ goals in more matches in a single top-flight campaign than in 2024/25 (4 times).

Mariona Caldentey has been involved in the most open play sequences that have ended in a shot in the Women’s Super League this season (108) while the xG from the sequences she is involved in is also a league best (17.3).

Beth Mead is one assist away from becoming the first player in Women’s Super League history to register 50 assists. She has four assists and two goals in just seven WSL appearances against the Villans.

MATCH OFFICIALS

Grace Lowe has been appointed to see over Wednesday’s match. In her last game she sent off Crystal Palace’s Allyson Swabt in their 4-0 defeat away to Chelsea.

Lowe’s last involvement in an Arsenal game was for our 3-1 win away to Everton in March.

Referee: Grace Lowe
Assistants: David Middleton and Jon Ashworth Sears
Fourth official: Sophie Dennington

PREVIOUS TRIPS TO VILLA

Aston Villa has been a happy hunting ground for us in recent years, as we’ve beaten them away from home 4-0 twice in 2021, 4-1 in 2022 and 3-1 in 2024.

We went behind as Ebony Salmon gave Villa the lead in last season’s encounter, before goals from Victoria Pelova, Lotte Wubben-Moy and Stina Blackstenius turned the game around.