🏏 Sat, 27 Sep 2025 12:00 BST
Arsenal Women
vs
Aston Villa Women
Positions estimated (no formation data from the API)
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Substitutes
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- Both goalkeepers face the club they used to represent. Arsenal's Daphne van Domselaar moved from Twente to Aston Villa before joining the Gunners, and the 25-year-old Netherlands international was a Ballon d'Or nominee in 2023. At the other end stands former Arsenal keeper Sabrina D'Angelo, the 32-year-old Canada international who won bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics and was named MVP of an NWSL final shootout.
- Villa's defence carries the same theme. Anna Patten came through Arsenal's academy and played college football at Florida State before turning professional; the 26-year-old Republic of Ireland centre-back brings 178cm of aerial presence and leadership against her former club. Midfielder Milly Taylor, another ex-Arsenal player who switched allegiance to Scotland in 2025, waits on the bench.
- Arsenal's front line is stacked with international pedigree. Alessia Russo, 26, made her name with that backheel at Euro 2022 and arrived via Manchester United and Chelsea. Beth Mead was the leading scorer at Euro 2022, while Mariona Caldentey spent a decade at Barcelona and won the 2023 World Cup with Spain. Republic of Ireland captain Katie McCabe supplies the left-footed deliveries from wide.
- The midfield mixes eras. Captain Kim Little, now 35, has taken in OL Reign and Melbourne City during a career that made her an Arsenal great, and her passing range remains elite. Around her are Olivia Smith, the 21-year-old Canada international signed from Liverpool in the first million-pound transfer in women's football, and Norway's Frida Maanum, whose long-range shooting adds a direct threat.
- Rachel Daly leads the Villa attack. The 33-year-old England forward won the WSL Golden Boot with 22 goals in her first season at the club and was named PFA Women's Player of the Year for it. Beside her is Ebony Salmon, a 24-year-old Villa academy graduate with NWSL experience at Houston Dash and Racing Louisville, whose acceleration is built for running in behind.
- Jill Baijings is Villa's chief creator. The 24-year-old Netherlands attacking midfielder worked her way up through SC Heerenveen, SGS Essen and Bayer Leverkusen before a move to Bayern Munich, and her vision drives the side forward. Alongside her is Missy Bo Kearns, who became Liverpool's youngest ever captain at 20, and the pair must find a way through Arsenal's pressing.
- The wide duel is worth watching. Villa's Lynn Wilms has 56 caps for the Netherlands and played in a UEFA Women's Champions League final as well as winning the Bundesliga during her Wolfsburg years. The 24-year-old full-back lines up opposite McCabe, while French centre-back Oceane Deslandes, a 66-game, four-goal veteran of three seasons at Montpellier, patrols the middle.
- Arsenal hand a 19-year-old a significant role at the back. Academy product Katie Reid is seen as a long-term successor to Leah Williamson, and she is flanked by United States full-back Emily Fox, 27, and Australia's 31-year-old Steph Catley. Fox played alongside Russo and Lotte Wubben-Moy at North Carolina in her college days, and how the senior pair shield Reid could shape the contest.
- Arsenal's bench is the deeper of the two. Laia Codina, the Barcelona-raised Spain centre-back who won the 2023 World Cup, sits alongside Sweden striker Stina Blackstenius, Euro 2022 final scorer Chloe Kelly and Austria goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger, a former Bayern Munich player. Villa's options include Spain left-back Paula Tomas, who made 89 appearances for Levante.