City v Aston Villa: FA WSL match preview | OneFootball

Everything you need to know ahead of City’s FA Women's Super League visit of Aston Villa...

WHEN AND WHERE

The game will take place on Sunday 17 January in a 12:30 (UK) kick-off at the Academy Stadium.

Broadcast info

The game will be shown live via the BBC Red button in the UK, and FA Player elsewhere.

The semi-final draw of the Continental Cup will be conducted at half-time of BBC's coverage, conducted by Kelly Somers and Siobhan Chamberlain at 13:20.

You can also check to see whether the game will be broadcast in your country via the listings below, courtesy of livesoccertv...

You can also follow the action via our dedicated matchday Twitter account: @ManCityWomen

Match programme

View your FREE digital edition of the City v Aston Villa matchday programme here...

RULES

For safety reasons in the wake of the pandemic, the fixture will be played behind-closed-doors.

In line with current protocols, additional balls will be placed at intervals around the pitch.

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form guide

City are unbeaten in our last five league games and won all four of our December matches, including a crucial 2-0 triumph over Arsenal in the FA WSL and 3-0 win over Göteborg FC in the Champions League Round of 32 second leg.

Aston Villa were eliminated from the Continental Cup in midweek, losing 2-1 to Bristol City. Before the Christmas break, the Villans had won two of their previous four games, beating Bristol City 4-0 and edging Durham on penalties.

The Midlands outfit fell to defeat however at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United.

Gareth Taylor preview

"While it was nice to have some downtime over the Christmas break, it has been a long time between games and we’re really raring to get back out onto the pitch and hopefully, pick up where we left off.

"I always pride the team on performance and in the run up to Christmas, I felt we were really starting to gain some momentum.

"There are still elements of our play we’re looking to improve on but there were some really good individual and collective performances and we were really pleased to progress in the Champions League and climb the league table to put ourselves in contention.

"We’re in amongst it and that’s where we want to be. We just need to keep producing that level of performance to ensure we’re there or thereabouts come the end of the season.

"We know our targets and we’ve put ourselves in a decent position. We need to maintain those standards."

Last meeting

City started 2020/21 with a bang, defeating Villa in the FA Women’s Super League season opener.

Georgia Stanway bagged a first-half brace at Villa Park to set City up and running for the new campaign, as Gareth Taylor’s side delivered an early statement of intent with a fine 2-0 victory.

United States midfielder and World Cup winner Sam Mewis also gained her first taste of WSL action, making her debut in the heart of midfield, alongside fellow debutant Chloe Kelly, as the title hopefuls secured the perfect start against the top-flight newcomers.

WATCH: Aston Villa 0-2 City: FA WSL highlights

LAST TIME OUT

Lauren Hemp announced she’s back with a bang, netting a Goal of the Season contender to help secure City’s passage into the Champions League Round of 16.

The PFA Young Player of the Year smashed home a rocket from 25 yards to open the scoring in the Round of 32 second leg clash against Göteborg, before substitute Georgia Stanway bagged a second-half brace to clinch a 3-0 win (5-1 on aggregate).

The superb strike marked her first goal of the season with the 20-year-old having missed the opening months of the 2020/21 campaign through injury.

The victory continued City's excellent run of form with four wins from four in December, as Gareth Taylor's side continue to progress both domestically and in Europe.

WATCH: Highlights: City 3-0 Goteborg

Stats

FURTHER READING