Man City Manchester City

A Villa Aston Villa

WHEN AND WHERE

The game takes place at the Academy Stadium on Saturday 20 November with kick-off scheduled for 11:30am (UK).

The match will be shown live on Sky Sports, while fans around the world can see which global broadcasters are showing the game in the list below, courtesy of livesoccertv.

We’ll also have live text coverage of the game with our Matchday Centre on mancity.com and our official app, or via Twitter @ManCityWomen. Following the full-time whistle, a comprehensive match report and post-match reaction from Gareth Taylor will be available to view on mancity.com and our official app.

Highlights and a full-match replay will also be available to view with a CITY+ subscription from Monday at noon.

Tickets

Tickets for all City home games are on sale and are able to be purchased online or at the Academy Stadium on the day of the game.

WOMEN’S TEAM TICKETS | BUY ONLINE

TEAM NEWS

Gareth Taylor made five changes to the side that fell to defeat in Wednesday’s Manchester Derby.

Jill Scott, Caroline Weir, Filippa Angeldahl, Lauren Hemp and Ellen White were restored to the starting XI, replacing Ruby Mace, Vicky Losada, Laura Coombs, Hayley Raso and Janine Beckie.

Karima Benameur Taieb was shielded by a backline of Demi Stokes, Alex Greenwood, Scott and Georgia Stanway, while Keira Walsh protected the backline in defensive midfield.

Weir and Angeldahl occupied central midfield, flanked by Hemp and Jess Park, while captain White led the line upfront.

Alanna Kennedy (thigh) is expected to be sidelined for two weeks, while Karen Bardsley (hamstring), Ellie Roebuck (calf), Khiara Keating (fractured elbow), Steph Houghton (Achilles), Esme Morgan (leg fracture), Lucy Bronze (knee) and Chloe Kelly (ACL) remain long-term absentees.

CITY XI | Taieb, Stanway, Scott, Greenwood, Stokes, Walsh, Angeldahl, Weir, Park, Hemp, White (C)

SUBS | Raso, Coombs, Losada, Beckie, Shaw, Mace

VILLA XI | Hampton, Mayling, Sargeant, Allen, N’Dow, Asante, Lehmann, Arthur, Petzelberger, Ewers (C), Pacheco.

SUBS | Gielnik, Boye-Hlorkah, Hutton, Haigh, McLoughlin, Gregory, Blindkilde Brown, Rogers, Littlejohn.

Gareth Taylor preview

“We’re dealing with the pressure. It’s a tough situation we are in at the moment. The response from the players and staff has been great. It’s not a nice situation to be in but we are working tremendously hard and it’s great to see.

The focus is on getting a positive result. Villa, as you have seen this season already, have improved.

“Carla [Ward] has added a different dimension. They made it difficult for Chelsea. Chelsea just edged it.

“It’s not going to be easy. It never is. People anticipate when they see on paper that it’s done beforehand but it never is.

“We have to be focused on our small details, approach the game in the right manner and take care of the performance, which usually takes care of the result.

“We have an opportunity now to have a good period. We have proven we can do that. It is a good opportunity for us.”

WATCH: Taylor: We need to make our own luck

LAST TIME OUT

City were beaten 2-1 by Manchester United in the Continental Cup group stage Manchester derby.

In a feisty contest at Leigh Sports Village, City took a deserved early lead through a stunning Vicky Losada strike.

But United levelled on the half-hour, despite protests that City keeper Karima Taieb had been fouled.

And the Reds clinched victory in the dying minutes, though City can still progress to the knockout stages of the competition.

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WATCH: Continental Cup highlights: United v City

PREVIOUS ENCOUNTER

City cruised into the fifth round of the 2020/21 Women’s FA Cup with a sensational 8-0 win over Aston Villa in April.

A Chloe Kelly hat-trick (her first for the Club), plus goals from Ellen White, Janine Beckie, Georgia Stanway, Rose Lavelle and Sam Mewis claimed an emphatic triumph, as the holders produced a ruthless display to kick-off our defence of the trophy in style.

WATCH: City 8-0 Aston Villa: Match highlights

How it stands

City will have the chance to leapfrog sixth-placed Villa in the table with a win.

Taylor’s side currently sit three points behind the Villans with the two sides level on goal difference.

FORM GUIDE

City head into the game in disappointing form, having suffered defeat in our last two games at the hands of Chelsea and Manchester United.

Villa also fell to a 2-1 reverse at home to Sheffield United in the Continental Cup in midweek but had fielded a much-changed starting XI, featuring several Academy players, after edging the Second City Derby against Birmingham City on Sunday.

Stats

● City have a 100% record against Aston Villa in all competitions, scoring 29 goals without reply.

● Gareth Taylor‘s side inflicted Villa’s heaviest ever FA WSL defeat - a 7-0 triumph in January - last season.

● We have had nine different league goalscorers this season (excluding own goals) - the joint-most in the competition alongside Arsenal and Chelsea.

● City have averaged 4.5 goals per game in their two meetings with Aston Villa in the WSL – only versus Doncaster (five per game) have we had a higher such ratio (minimum two games).

● Following a 1-0 win over Birmingham last time out, Villa are looking to secure back-to-back wins in the FA WSL for the first time. They’ve won as many games this season (W3 D1 L3) as they managed last season (W3 D6 L13) in the WSL.

● No WSL side has won more points from losing positions so far this season Aston Villa (4) – level with City and Tottenham Hotspur.

● Carla Ward’s side have won two of their last three away games in the WSL - as many as they’d won in their first 12 on the road in the competition. 67% of their WSL wins have come in away matches (four out of six) – the highest percentage of any team in WSL history.

● Georgia Stanway has four goals in her last three appearances against the Midlands side.

● Hayley Raso has been directly involved in three goals in two WSL games against Villa (two goals, one assist) – doing so for Everton last season.

● Lauren Hemp had a hand in three of City’s seven goals against Aston Villa in this exact fixture last season (7-0), scoring two and providing one assist.

● Sarah Mayling has played 52 passes into the opposition penalty area in the FA WSL this season – only Manchester United’s Katie Zelem (59) and Spurs’ Kit Graham (54) have made more.