Match Pack: Brighton & Hove Albion

At A Glance

Aston Villa Women entertain Brighton & Hove Albion at Poundland Bescot Stadium, just four days after Wednesday night's dominant 5-1 Conti Cup victory over Durham.

One place and two points separate tenth-placed Villa from Sunday's visitors, with Carla Ward's side having suffered back-to-back league defeats.

Villa's two league wins thus far have come on the road, meaning Sunday's clash takes on added importance with the team aiming to finish 2023 on a high.

Brighton & Hove Albion claimed a dramatic 2-2 draw with Leicester City last Sunday courtesy of Elisabeth Terland's late double.

It ensured the south coast outfit picked up a valuable point in their hopes of rising up the table in the months to come.

Mel Phillips' side have tasted victory just twice this season, as many times as Villa, and will be hoping for more consistency in 2024.

Standout Stats

• Aston Villa have won three of their six meetings with Brighton in the WSL (D1 L2), beating them 6-2 on 
  the road when the two teams last met.
• Aston Villa’s starting XIs have had the oldest average age of any side in the WSL this season (28 years, 
  18 days).

The Last Meeting

Aston Villa were pegged back by Brighton & Hove Albion at Poundland Bescot Stadium when these sides met in February.

Villa took the lead when Kayleigh Green turned into her own net before half-time, and it looked as though Villa were heading to three points.

But Julia Zigiotti Olme struck with 15 minutes to go and the spoils were ultimately shared.

Team News

Carla Ward will assess her squad ahead of the encounter, with Wednesday’s commanding 5-1 victory over Durham the club’s second in five days.

Daphne van Domselaar (concussion), Alisha Lehmann (knee) and Dan Turner (knee) all look set to miss out, while decisions on Georgia Mullett and Simone Magill will be made close to matchday.

The Boss