🏏 Sun, 29 Mar 2026 12:00 BST
Chelsea Women
vs
Aston Villa Women
Positions estimated (no formation data from the API)
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- Third-placed Chelsea (37 pts) host eighth-placed Aston Villa (20 pts) at home. To cut the nine-point gap to leaders City, Chelsea can afford no slip-ups. Villa, tied sixth on 20 points, face a crunch moment in their bid to break out of the mid-table pack.
- In this season's Matchday 2, Chelsea won handsomely 3-1 at Villa's home. Villa will be eager for revenge at Stamford Bridge, but Chelsea are in good form on a run of three wins and a draw, so the bar is high.
- Chelsea's Lauren James is England's number ten, and her overwhelming individual skill and dribbling are among the world's best. Including build-up from Naomi Girma (a USA centre-back signed for a world-record fee), Chelsea's individual quality is a threat.
- Aston Villa's Maya Hijikata is a young Nadeshiko Japan striker. Bringing her WE League pedigree to the WSL, she will look to score against Chelsea's solid defence. Watch her link-up with Villa's ace Rachel Daly (last season's WSL top scorer with 22 goals).
- Chelsea's goalkeeper Hannah Hampton is a former Aston Villa player. The FIFA Best Women's Goalkeeper winner stands in the way of her old club. On the Villa side, Oriane Jean-Francois and Mille Taylor are former Chelsea players, so both sides know each other's game.
- Chelsea's midfield boasts world-class players in Sjoeke Nusken (Germany), Keira Walsh (England) and Erin Cuthbert (Scotland). How far Villa's Lucy Kendall and Missy Bo Kearns can compete in midfield is the question.
- Chelsea's Sam Kerr is one of the world's best strikers, a threat with her aerial strength and finishing. With Sandy Baltimore (France) and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd (Sweden's Women's Player of the Year) also in reserve, the attacking options are plentiful.
- Villa's Jill Baijings (Netherlands) is a creative midfielder with excellent passing and vision, the central figure who builds Villa's attack. How Villa progress the ball against Chelsea's organised press is the key.