At A Glance
Aston Villa Women are set to begin their 2022/23 campaign on Sunday when they welcome Manchester City to Villa Park.
A tribute will be paid to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II before the match kicks off, with both sets of fans encouraged to participate in a minute’s silence.
When the game kicks off, Villa will be hoping to begin the new season in a similar vein to 2021/22 when they came from behind to defeat Leicester City.
Remi Allen and Sarah Mayling struck in a matter of minutes to give Carla Ward the perfect start to life as Villa manager.
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Sunday's visitors to Villa Park are Manchester City
Gareth Taylor’s side finished in third place last season, nine points behind eventual champions Chelsea.
Whilst that represented a decent season for the Citizens, they will aspire of closing the gap between themselves and the top two.
The team have undergone a summer of change as they’ve seen eight players depart and a further six come in.
What the side will look like at their very best is yet to be seen, but another challenge at the top of the division is expected.
Natasha Harding had a brief spell at Manchester City in 2015.
The Last Meeting
Villa Women lost 3-0 to City at Poundland Bescot Stadium the last time these two sides met.
Carla Ward's side produced a positive display against Gareth Taylor's Citizens, but were undone by a Georgia Stanway double and a Vicky Losada tap-in.
The result left Carla Ward’s side in 10th place at the time, though they would bounce back a week later with victory over Leicester City.
Team News
Carla Ward has confirmed up to seven players could miss Sunday's game against City.
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Captain Remi Allen and Simone Magill remain sidelined with long-term ACL injuries, while Meaghan Sargeant is battling a back issue.
Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah is out with a groin injury sustained in training this week and Sarah Mayling is a doubt having only returned to training on Friday.
Ruesha Littlejohn misses out having broken a bone in her foot on international duty, and Tash Harding will have to wait for her competitive debut in a Villa shirt.
The Boss
“Every day we strive to make sure that we’re ready. We strive to improve. We’ll make sure we’re well equipped. To play Manchester City on the opening day is a tough ask, but we want to show the improvements and that we’re closing gaps.”
Carla Ward
