At A Glance
Aston Villa Women play their final game of the calendar year this Sunday when they face Arsenal at Villa Park.
Carla Ward's side are set to end 2022 in a positive place.
They currently occupy fifth place in the Barclays WSL table, a marked improvement in comparison to where we were at the same point last campaign.
And with one game left to go before Christmas, the team will be hoping to put on a show at B6.
Villa fell to a disappointing defeat against Manchester United last weekend, but showed more positive signs in midweek as they progressed into the knockout stages of the Conti Cup with a 2-1 win over Sheffield United.
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This weekend's visitors to Villa Park are Arsenal.
Jonas Eidevall’s side are one of the more formidable sides in the continent and will have aspirations of breaking Chelsea’s spell of domestic dominance.
The Gunners are currently sitting third in the Barclays WSL table and got their title charge back on track last weekend with a 1-0 win over Everton.
Arsenal had lost 3-2 to Manchester United prior to the victory over the Toffees, but still find themselves just three points off the league’s summit.
Former Villa player Mana Iwabuchi will be hoping to feature for Sunday's visitors, while Anna Patten won’t feature for Villa against her parent club.
The Last Meeting
Villa Women saw an unbeaten run come to an abrupt end back in May as they lost 7-0 to Arsenal.
The Gunners came flying out of the blocks and were 2-0 up within the opening 12 minutes through a Vivianne Miedema brace.
Matters were made worse when Rachel Corsie turned the ball into her own net on 51 minutes, before Beth Mead, Lotte Wubben-Moy, Stina Blackstenius and Nikita Parris all netted.
Team News
Freya Gregory is set to be out for Sunday's game against Arsenal having limped off during Wednesday's win over Sheffield United.
The winger sustained an ankle injury just 18 minutes into the Conti Cup tie and won't feature against the Gunners.
Elsewhere, Meaghan Sargeant, Remi Allen, Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah, Tash Harding, Simone Magill and Evie Rabjohn remain out with long-term injuries.
Anna Patten is ineligible to face her parent club.
