By 
Aston Villa Women are back in action this Sunday to face league leaders Chelsea.
Words: Bruna Reis | @BrunaSportsJour
_____
Aston Villa Women are back in action in the Women’s Super League on Sunday as they travel to London to face reigning champions and league leaders, Chelsea.
Marcus Bignot and co. are in dire need to bounce back from four back-to-back defeats to Spurs, Arsenal, Manchester United and Brighton & Hove Albion, respectively.
Sitting 10th in the league standings, Villa are only a point clear from bottom placed West Ham and level with Bristol City.
With only seven fixtures until the end of the 2020/21 campaign, the Villans must turn those performances into valuable points which will potentially determine the club’s fate in the WSL.
Last time out, Villa were left empty handed on home soil as Brighton put in a fine display at the Banks’s Stadium which ended in a 2-0 defeat.
Against Chelsea, Olivia McLoughlin is poised to make her first senior start for Aston Villa Women.
On the other hand, Chelsea are unbeaten in their last four games following a shock 2-1 home defeat to the Seagulls but will be looking to boost their gap to second placed, Manchester City.
Villa are up against a rather talented side in all areas of the pitch, their last meeting saw the Blues win 4-0 with goals from Sam Kerr, Beth England, Pernille Harder and Magdalena Eriksson.
Emma Hayes’ side will come into the game feeling confident following a 2-1 triumph over German outfit VfL Wolfsburg in the quarter-finals of the Women’s Champions League.
Interim manager, Bignot spoke to Villa TV following the Brighton defeat but was encouraged the team is heading in the right direction.
“My biggest takeaway is that we’re going in the right direction. The group of players out there gave their all.
“They’re now understanding what it takes to be successful at this level and to embrace the situation that we’re in.
“I have no doubt they’re going to come through these uncomfortable experiences, we’ve made huge strides and I’m seeing signs.”
The encounter will take place at Kingsmeadow on Sunday afternoon and will be broadcast live on BT Sport with kick-off scheduled at 2:30pm.
