Aston Villa Women head into October brimming with confidence.
Currently sitting third in the Barclays FA Women's Super League table, Carla Ward's side are unbeaten in their opening three games of the season.
Wins against Leicester City and Brighton & Hove Albion came either side of a hard-fought draw against West Ham United.
There have been standout performances all over the pitch in the opening few weeks of the campaign, but no one will be happier than Emily Gielnik right now.
The Australian striker opened her goalscoring account during last weekend's 1-0 success over the Seagulls after leading the line superbly throughout.
Tickets for Saturday's game at Villa Park are available to purchase right up until kick-off.
Having faced then-league leaders Brighton last weekend, Villa will once more face the table-toppers this time around in the form of Arsenal.
The Gunners, now managed by Jonas Eidevall, have three wins from three to start the campaign and simply blew Manchester City away (5-1) in their most recent league success.
Arsenal finished just nine points away from champions Chelsea last season, and will be full of belief they can go all the way in 2021/22.
An opening day win over Emma Hayes' side will only boost those hopes.
Standout Stats
- Aston Villa are yet to score against Arsenal in the Women’s Super League, playing out a 0-0 draw away from home after a 0-4 defeat on home soil in their two clashes last season.
- Arsenal are on a six-game winning run away from home in the WSL, only shipping one goal (at Everton) during this run. This is their fourth occurrence of recording six straight wins on the road in the competition, never before managing to turn it into seven.
- Aston Villa are unbeaten in their last three WSL games at home (W1 D2), accruing more points (5) in those three matches than they did in their opening nine in the competition on home soil (4 – W1 D1 L7).
- Since the start of last season, Arsenal (37) have scored more away goals in the Women’s Super League than any other side, while of the sides who were also in the top-flight last season, only Birmingham (6) have netted fewer than Aston Villa (7) in home games over the same period.
- After avoiding defeat in just four of their first 17 matches in the WSL (W3 D1 L13), Aston Villa are now unbeaten in eight top-flight matches (W2 D6) and following a 1-0 win over Brighton last time out are looking for consecutive WSL wins for the first time.
- For a fourth consecutive season, Arsenal have won their opening three WSL games, while it is the fifth time they have done it overall, more than any other side in WSL history.
- Aston Villa are yet to score a first half goal in the WSL this season, while Arsenal have scored the most goals in the first 45 minutes of matches in the league (6).
- Arsenal have both led for the most total minutes (224) and trailed for the fewest (0) in the Women’s Super League this season.
- Aston Villa manager Carla Ward faced Arsenal twice last season as Birmingham City manager, losing 3-0 away from home and 4-0 at home.
- Arsenal’s Kim Little scored a brace in their 5-0 hammering of Man City last time out – Little has scored in 38 WSL games and never lost (W35 D3), with only Jordan Nobbs (39) scoring in more games in WSL history without ending on the losing side.
The Last Meeting
Villa Women maintained their status in the WSL when these two sides last met in May, as they drew 0-0 with the Gunners at Meadow Park.
Villa defended superbly throughout as they limited the third-place Gunners to very little clear-cut opportunities.
The result ensured safety on the day, as they also leapfrogged Birmingham City to finish 10th in the WSL.
The Boss
Carla Ward insists her Villa side have ‘got to keep improving’ after maintaining their unbeaten start to the 2021/22 season.
Gielnik’s first goal for the club ensured a 1-0 victory over the Seagulls, a result which gives Villa seven points from their opening three games.
And Ward was full of praise for her squad afterwards.
“That was an outstanding performance from every single player,” the manager stated.
“I thought they were exceptional.
“From the moment we arrived their attitude has been first class.
“That was the performance of the season so far.”
Sunday’s performance was a welcome one in many ways, but a pleasing aspect was Villa’s faster start in comparison to their first two games against Leicester and West Ham.
After falling behind against the Foxes and the Hammers, Sunday’s first-half display against Brighton gave Villa a platform to grab all three points.
“We addressed what we felt was the reason we’ve been starting slow,” admitted Ward.
“Off the pitch we had to adapt and amend a couple of things.
“We also changed a couple of things in our gameplan, we wanted to get on the front foot more and get in their faces.”
The manager singled out Gielnik for some special praise after the Australian international scored on just her second appearance for the club.
The 29-year-old opened her account for the Villans in some style, curling past the ‘keeper after picking up the ball just past the halfway line.
“The way she [Emily] took it was absolutely sensational – that’s a striker’s finish,” beamed Ward.
“She was brilliant today. I’m really pleased for her because it’s important to get your first goal.”
Looking ahead to Saturday’s fixture at Villa Park against Arsenal, the boss urged her side to remain calm despite their rapid start.
“We’ve still got work to do, we’ve got to keep improving. We have to build on it. We have to keep ourselves grounded.”