Match Preview: Arsenal Women v Aston Villa in Finale of the WSL season by Michelle
The eagerly awaited finale of the Women’s Super League has arrived, and this Saturday afternoon Arsenal Women return to their home turf to face Aston Villa.
Carla Ward’s Aston Villa team has enjoyed a remarkably successful season, making it a challenging task for Jonas Eidevall’s side to secure a favorable outcome on the ultimate matchday.
At present, Arsenal Women are three points ahead of Manchester City in the standings. Arsenal Women have all but secured Champions League qualification over Man City. Unless there is a dramatic 11-goal swing, Arsenal are poised to secure Champions League qualification for the third consecutive season.
A little bit of history
A win against Aston Villa today would see our injury-stricken Gunners absolutely ensure that qualification – even one point from a draw would be more than sufficient for our Gunners. In Arsenal’s last 5 WSL outings against Aston Villa, the villans have never won a match but Carla Ward’s side have certainly stepped up their game this season, with some key recruitments including Arsenal legend Jordan Nobbs, and they will be looking to end their most excellent of seasons on a high, just like our Gunners!
In the quarter-finals of the Conti Cup, Arsenal faced Aston Villa once again and secured a convincing 3-0 victory. It turned out to be a successful campaign for our Gunners as they went on to win the Conti Cup with a 3-1 win over arch London rivals Chelsea.
Highlights Arsenal Women 3-0 Aston Villa in Conti Cup Quarter Finals (video)
Arsenal‘s Eidevall on Villa: “There’s one performance left and we’re not jumping ahead to anything. We need to be very, very good on Saturday, in order to finish the way we want. It’s against a really tough opponent.
“Aston Villa have been excellent this season and that’s where we need to put our focus.”
Villa’s Ward on Arsenal: “The last four times we’ve played Arsenal, we haven’t had a full unit together and that’s frustrating. However Arsenal are a top, top side and will make it difficult for you, we could have our best XI out there and they could still hurt us.
“They’ve got quality everywhere and you’ve got to credit Jonas (Eidevall), he’s faced a hell of a lot this year and they’ve got on with it and got the job done. For them to be in this position now is a huge credit to him.”
Team News
There is no new teams news but Arsenal will definitely be without Beth Mead, Vivianne Miedema, Kim Little, Leah Williamson, Laura Wienroither and Lia Walti due to injury.
How to watch
The final game of the season kicks off at 14:30 (UK time) with tickets to Meadow Park fully sold-out. but you can watch the match live on the FA Player.
I think there’s a healthy mutual respect between these teams and it won’t be easy for Arsenal to secure a win, particularly with their long list of injuries, but our Gunners are on their home turf and they will want to end what has been a great season on a high! And with a sold out Meadow Park we can expect a lot of Gooners and a lot of noise!
COME ON YOU GOONER WOMEN!
Michelle Maxwell
Follow Michelle on Just Gooner Women on Twitter for regular updates on the Arsenal Womens Team!
Do you want to read more about the Arsenal Women’s Team? Click here….
