At A Glance
Aston Villa Women will face Brighton & Hove Albion for the second time in as many weeks this Sunday.
Carla Ward's side travel to Crawley to face the Seagulls at Broadfield Stadium, with kick-off set for 2pm.
It will be a chance of instant redemption for Villa, who allowed Brighton to grow into last weekend's league game.
Villa took a first-half lead through a Kayleigh Green own goal, but the visitors struck with 16 minutes remaining which meant the spoils were shared.
That feeling of frustration, coupled with the international break looming, means Sunday represents an important opportunity to take three points.
This weekend's opponents at Broadfield Stadium are Brighton & Hove Albion.
Jens Scheuer, formerly of Bayern Munich, has been at the helm since December having replaced Hope Powell.
And although he has managed just two league games in that time, he will be pleased with the character shown by his side last weekend.
Villa were arguably the better side for large spells but were pegged back by the Seagulls.
The result was an important one for the south coast outfit in their attempts to stave off a Leicester City revival at the foot of the table.
Villa have won both visits to Crawley since our promotion to the top flight in 2020.
Standout Stats
- Brighton and Hove Albion have lost both of their home WSL games against Villa without scoring a
goal in either defeat. - There has never been a home win in WSL games between Brighton and Villa, with the away team
winning four of five games (D1). - Villa are unbeaten in their last three WSL matches (W1 D2) - last enjoying a longer run without
defeat between April and September 2021 (eight games). - Carla Ward has only won one of her five WSL games against Brighton (D2 L2),
although that was on her last away trip to the Seagulls in September 2021, a 1-0 win with Villa. - Kenza Dali has carried the ball 2,720m in the Women’s Super League this season, 567
metres further than any other player. - Jordan Nobbs has scored four goals in her seven WSL matches against Brighton, although
she hasn’t netted in any of her last four appearances against the Seagulls, including two games this
season.
The Last Meeting
As mentioned, Villa were held to a 1-1 draw against Brighton when these two sides met just last weekend.
Villa took the lead during the first half when Kayleigh Green bundled into her own net, but Julia Zigiotti Olme's leveller 16 minutes from time meant the points were shared.
Team News
Carla Ward confirmed during Friday morning's press conference that Freya Gregory has returned to pitch-based work.
The left-side player, who hasn't featured since December with an ankle injury, is close to returning to full training.
Anna Leat, meanwhile, remains out with a back injury that has kept her out of the last two matchday squads.
Remi Allen and Simone Magill have both continued pitch-based work but are still a significant period away from returning.
Meaghan Sargeant, Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah and Natasha Harding remain out with long-term injuries.
The Boss
“We focus on us. It’s really important to remember we’re on a journey together. We weren’t happy with our performance last week. We’re going into the game confident, as always.”
Carla Ward
