Aston Villa Women will look to extend their winning streak when they host Birmingham City Women in a WSL Cup group stage match at Keys Park on Wednesday, 28 October. The fixture pits a Villa side in strong form against a Birmingham team seeking consistency.
Their last outing was a 3-2 victory away to Everton on 25 October, a match where Amalie Vangsgaard scored twice and Noelle Maritz also found the net. That result made it three consecutive wins in all competitions, following a 2-0 win at Burnley and a 2-1 home victory over Liverpool.
Both clubs have confirmed their starting lineups for the cup tie. Aston Villa Women last fielded a 3-4-1-2 formation against Everton, with Akane Okuma in goal behind a defensive trio of Patten, Harviken and Deslandes. The midfield and attack featured Wilms, Kielland, Jean-François, Noelle Maritz, Kendall, Chasity Grant and Amalie Vangsgaard.
Birmingham City Women's last starting eleven, used against Arsenal on 17 October, was a 4-4-1-1. It included Baggaley in goal, with a back four of McKenna, Cooke, Turner and Herron. Oceane Hurtre, Asato Miyagawa, Naalsund and Marie Levasseur formed the midfield, behind forwards Amano and Crosthwaite.
While the WSL Cup offers a different challenge, Villa's league form provides the backdrop. They have scored nine goals but conceded 14, leaving them with a -5 goal difference and ten points adrift of leaders Chelsea. Their top scorer this season is Amalie Vangsgaard with three goals in seven appearances. The immediate focus after this cup game shifts back to the league, with a tough away fixture against sixth-placed Arsenal on 1 November.
In the WSL Cup group stage, Aston Villa currently sit second in their group with three points from one match, having scored two goals and conceded zero. Their opponent Birmingham City are bottom of the same group with zero points from one game, having scored zero and conceded two. The group is led by Manchester City with three points and a superior goal difference.
