Conti Cup: Arsenal vs Aston Villa in League Cup semi-finals
Arsenal WFC are back in action tonight as the League Cup returns, and a victory against Villa will set up a final against either Manchester City or Chelsea, depending on which team comes out victorious during the Thursday night clash.
Arsenal earned 11 points from four games to top Group D, before beating London City Lionesses in the quarter-finals.
Tonight they face Aston Villa at home in front of a packed out crowd.
For Aston Villa, it’s been a mixed season so far with five defeats on the bounce in the WSL. But a string of winds saw them start to climb the table, and they now sit in eight.
Villa are going into the game off the back of a 4-1 loss at home to Liverpool in the WSL, whilst Arsenal are going into the game off the back of a 1-0 win over Tottenham, in front of more than 60,000 fans at the Emirates.
In the Conti Cup, Villa came second in Group A, before knocking out Brighton in the quarter-finals on penalties.
What the managers say
Eidevall: “It’s a good side, Aston Villa. They have a lot to play for being in the semi-finals, just as we do, and apart from the game against Liverpool, their last game here, which I think they’re disappointed with, I think you have seen a Villa side that has been progressing and developing after the new year. We need to be on our very best behaviour and performance in order to get the result we want.”
Ward: “I’ve not reached a major final yet. Aston Villa [Women] have never reached a major final, it would be absolutely huge. We’ll do everything we can to reach it but we know it’s going to be a tough ask. We’re going up against, in my opinion, one of the best squads in the country and we’re certainly thin on the ground. It’s going to be a massive, gigantic effort to get there.”
Team News
Vivianne Miedema (knee), Lina Hurtig (illness), and Teyah Goldie (ACL) remain unavailable for Wednesday, while Katie Reid is cup tied.
Emily Fox, Cloe Lacasse and Sabrina D’Angelo remain with their national teams for the CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup and will be unavailable on Wednesday.
For Villa, Lucy Staniforth and Lucy Parker remain out with respective ankle injuries, while Freya Gregory, Miri Taylor and Noelle Maritz are all cup-tied.
Adriana Leon is still on international duty with Canada, but Rachel Daly is set to return from a three-game suspension.
Where to watch the Conti Cup match tonight?
All the action kicks off at Meadow Park at 7.15 pm (UK) and the match will be shown live on the FA Player for supporters who aren’t able to attend.