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Match Preview: Aston Villa vs London City
- samwraight
- Nov 15
- 5 min read
Barclays Women’s Super League
Aston Villa
Sunday 16th November
12:00pm
Villa Park
London City have travelled to Birmingham ahead of a vital clash with Aston Villa at Villa Park on Sunday.
Just two points separate the two Barclays WSL outfits, with both managers hoping for their sides to push forward and further up the league table.
We come into the game high on confidence after putting four past Tottenham Hotspur at home last week, whereas Aston Villa recorded an impressive win against Manchester United.
Jocelyn Prêcheur is ready for a close encounter: “I expect a tough game against them, and interesting one too as a coach.”
Here is the full preview ahead of the game.
Last Time Out
Last time out, London City Lionesses produced a ruthless attacking display to beat Tottenham Hotspur 4–2 in BR2.
A brace for Freya Godfrey, a goal for Nikita Parris on her 200th WSL appearance and an own goal sealed a memorable victory for London City on Remembrance Sunday afternoon.
Relive the action here.
Opposition Overview
Aston Villa have had a fantastic start to the season, earning plenty of praise from our Head Coach Jocelyn Prêcheur in his pre-match press conference.
The Villans head into this fixture after handing Manchester United their first lost of the current campaign, and this weekend’s hosts have only lost one game themselves in the Barclays WSL this season.
Despite this, they have struggled at home, without a win all season at Villa Park, and sit two points behind London City Lionesses in the table.
There is a place in the top 6 on the line heading into the next international break, for the winners of Sunday’s game.
There is history between the two sides, playing against each other in our club’s inaugural season back in 2019. There are former Aston Villa players in the London City ranks – Izzy Goodwin and Sophia Poor.
There are plenty of international and former club connections between the two teams as well, notably at England senior and U23 level.
Where to Watch
For all information regarding matchday, travel and where to watch from home, check out our fan guide by clicking the button below.
Jocelyn Prêcheur’s Press Conference
Team News:
“Quite similar to last weekend.
“Julia Roddar took a knock at the end of the game and we had concussion concerns, but fortunately she is all okay.
“Sofia Jakobsson and Isa Kardinaal are now training with the team, which is a positive.
“There is nothing new from last week, which is good.”
On Aston Villa:
“Aston Villa are a tough team to beat.
“I really like the way they play, they are very well organised and precise, offensively and defensively, it is another tough test for us, especially away at Villa Park.
“I expect a tough game against them, and interesting one too as a coach.”
On the tactical battle:
“When you play against a team which is so well organised and precise, you need to do the same.
“We need to be organised, and it is a big part of my job to make the players aware of the opponents strengths and weaknesses, and to take benefits from them.
“We’ve worked well this week and I want to see how we can respond to a team that beat Manchester United last week.
“It will be an exciting test for us.”
On London City not being known as the WSL newcomers anymore:
“If people start to think like this, it means we are performing.
“I don’t really think about this, I try to always improve the team and build the team.
“Of course, we beat Tottenham 4-2, but in terms of performance we were far off of what I expected.
“Of course it’s a paradox because we scored four times, but I was split in two during the analysis of the game.
“We need to keep working and keep improving daily, to see where we can rank in the table at the end of the season.
On Freya Godfrey last weekend:
“Absolutely (she’s what I am looking for).
“It is part of our strategy at London City, to have young and talented footballers.
“I am very happy with the evolution of Freya; she’s one of the players who really made the difference last weekend and she had a strong impact on the result.
“She’s not the only one, for example defensively, Wassa Sangaré and Rofiat Imuran made a great performance to get the three points.
“Yes, all these players are young, but their confidence improves every Sunday.
“I never have any doubts over their potential, but the biggest challenge for all of these players is to be consistent now.”
On Freya Godfrey:
“We are talking about a very talented player, but she is so mature, the discipline she has and how she manages herself.
“I’m so happy that she is starting to get the results of her hard work.
“Her speed, with and without the ball, brings me a lot of options in the attacking part of the side.
“I want her to be more confident in dribbling 1v1, and shooting, as with the skills she has she can become a complete striker.
“I’m very grateful to work with her, a very good asset for the club, and this is just the beginning for her if she can keep working hard.”
On Nikita Parris:
“She is a great leader in and outside of the pitch.
“She knows what the top level requires from everyone individually and as a team.
“Having the support of this kind of player is special to me, as she can share my message and the younger players can look up to her.
“I hope, and I’m sure, that people like Freya (Godfrey) can listen to what Keets (Parris), Kosse (Asllani), Grace (Geyoro) or Daniëlle (van de Donk) or so many more of the experienced players can teach.
“Nikita is not just here to play, but to help build this team with me as an experienced player.”
On Rule Changes in Football:
“We need to be careful of changing rules that can change the game massively.
“I’m not sure we need to insist on the attractiveness of football, the game has so many fans which means the game is already attractive.
“I’m more concerned with rules that make the games more fair, so VAR was a very good introduction into the men’s game as it makes the game more fair.
“I would like to see real time used (stopwatch approach), like in rugby or basketball, and it makes the game more fair, this I can only approve as both teams and their fans want the deserving team to win.
On VAR:
“Many times, I disagree with the referees, but at the same time I must admit and confess that their job is hard.
“The evolution of the women’s game is impressive, and the game is so much faster than even five years ago.
“Their job is very difficult and they have the right to be mistaken, they are not machines.
“Anything which can help them to make their decisions, they deserve the support of the technology like in the men’s.”
We look forward to seeing you at Villa Park on Sunday.