Tottenham Hotspur Ladies will look to claim their fourth consecutive win in all competitions when they face Aston Villa Women at the Bescot Stadium on Saturday.
The Villans, meanwhile, are still searching for their first points of the season after beginning the Women's Super League campaign with three straight defeats.
Match preview
© Reuters
Aston Villa came into the 2023-24 campaign with hopes of building upon last season's impressive fifth-placed finish.
Instead of kicking on from last term, the Villans have experienced a poor start to the campaign, losing all three matches to leave them languishing in 11th position.
They began the campaign with a narrow 2-1 defeat to Manchester United, before they lost 2-0 in their away meeting with Liverpool.
The Villans looked set to claim all three points in last weekend's encounter with Arsenal after they took the lead through Maz Pacheco in the 25th minute, but two stoppage-time goals from the Gunners ensured that Carla Ward's side left the Emirates Stadium empty-handed.
As one of two WSL teams yet to pick up a point this season, they will be desperate to get off the mark in their final game before the international break.
© Reuters
In contrast to their hosts, Spurs have enjoyed a promising start to the 2023-24 season, having won three of their four competitive matches.
Although Robert Vilahamn's tenure began with a slender 2-1 loss to London rivals Chelsea, the Tottenham boss would have been encouraged by his team's performance.
Those promising signs have turned into positive results in recent games, with Spurs going on to claim three consecutive victories in all competitions, including a 3-1 league win over Bristol City and a 6-0 thrashing of Reading in the League Cup.
In their most recent outing, Spurs came from behind to beat Brighton & Hove Albion 3-1 thanks to goals from Martha Thomas, Grace Clinton and Ria Percival.
Tottenham head into the weekend in fourth position, and with only one point separating them from the top three teams, they will be looking to stay in touch with the early pacesetters by claiming maximum points in Saturday's away meeting.
- W
- L
- L
- L
Team News
© Reuters
Aston Villa are still without the services of Kenza Dali, who is hoping to return to action after the international break.
Georgia Mullett has recovered from illness and is expected to feature on the bench for Saturday's home contest.
As for the visitors, Ellie Brazil has stepped up her rehabilitation from an anterior cruciate ligament injury with a return to full training.
However, Brazil remains unavailable for selection, and she is joined on the absentee list by club captain Beth England, who is still recovering from hip surgery.
After earning her first England call-up in the week, Clinton will be looking to put in a positive performance before she links up with Sarina Wiegman's squad.
Aston Villa Women possible starting lineup:
Van Domselaar; Mayling, Patten, Corsie, Turner; Parker, Staniforth; Lehmann, Blindkilde Brown, Salmon; Daly
Tottenham Hotspur Ladies possible starting lineup:
Spencer; James, Buhler, Bartrip, Neville; Ahtinen, Spence, Summanen; Bizet, Clinton, Thomas
We say: Aston Villa Women 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur Ladies
Tottenham will carry significant momentum into Saturday's away trip, and we think that they will edge out their out-of-form hosts to claim a fourth consecutive victory ahead of the international break.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
