Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa - Match Preview

Crystal Palace are set to take on Aston Villa on Saturday 16th March at Gander Green Lane in Matchday 16 of the Barclay’s Women’s Super League. This fixture will take place at 14:00pm and will be broadcasted on Barclay’s WSL YouTube Channel. With this being a clash at the bottom of the table, both teams will be fighting to save themselves from relegation.

Last time out:

Back in November, Aston Villa took on Crystal palace, which resulted in a 3 – 2 win for the Villans with goals coming from; Anna Patten, Rachel Daly, Ebony Salmon for Aston Villa and My Cato and Annabel Blanchard for The Eagles. With the fear of relegation upon us, both teams will be looking to secure the three points.

What the managers have to say about this fixture:

Newly appointed Crystal Palace manager Leif Gunnar Smerud says, “It’s a great opportunity to close in [on the gap], and we of course know what game this is, so we are looking forward to it [facing Aston Villa].” Promoted Crystal Palace are looking to stay in the Women’s Super League ahead of next season for the chance to play at the highest level of football.

Crystal Palace have recently seen the return of rising star, Elise Hughes, who suffered an ACL injury at the end of the 23/24 season. Last season, Elise Hughes was the top goal scorer of the Women’s Championship.

When asked about Crystal Palace being a ‘must not lose game’, Aston Villa manager Natalia Arroyo said “Yes [it’s a must not lose game], we are facing this game with this ambition. We want to win; we need the three points, and it will be very important for us.”

The Villans are currently looking to secure the three points in hope of surviving relegation. Natalia Arroyo was appointed Head Coach during the January Transfer Window and since then, she has led Aston Villa to the quarter-final of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup.

Team News:

Crystal Palace have stated that both Hayley Nolan and Aimee Everett will be unavailable for this fixture. However, Smerud has said that he cannot comment further on any other players and Palace will determine who is available to play on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa have confirmed that defender; Sarah Mayling is set to be sidelined for a matter of weeks after confirming she sustained an ankle injury in last weekend’s fixture. Whilst Maz Pacheco and Lucy Staniforth are closing in on a return to fitness. However, Jordan Nobbs, Rachel Daly and Noelle Maritz are likely to return after not featuring in the starting lineup during Aston Villa’s FA Cup defeat against Manchester City.