Aston Villa Women: Carla Ward can cause upset in record-breaking Manchester United encounter
Aston Villa will face a cauldron of noise from the record-breaking 30,000 fans in attendance at Old Trafford this weekend, but have the tools to make it a day to remember for other reasons.
Saturday (3 December) will be just the third time ‘The Theatre of Dreams’ has hosted a women’s match in its history and is set to shatter United’s home attendance record – eclipsing the 20,241 tickets sold for their 3-1 win against Everton in March.
The stage is perfectly set for Carla Ward’s in-form side to spring a surprise and continue their ascension up the WSL table – although they will have to be at their best to topple Marc Skinner’s side.
The match will be an occasion to savour for Villa’s ever-improving team, and the record attendance could pile an over-bearing pressure on the home team – a pressure which The Villans could capitalise on.
Having won three consecutive games after the international break, Ward’s side are now positioned above West Ham on goal difference in fifth and just three points off Manchester City in fourth.
Ward will know that her side can compete with the likes of United and will not be afraid of the challenge that awaits her.
In Rachel Daly, she has a goalscorer which any WSL team will have nightmares over – having netted eight goals in just seven appearances, and the recent return of Ruesha Littlejohn from injury adds another brilliant option she can utilise off the bench.
Her team have proven themselves hard to break down this season having conceded just one goal in their last three games, but come up against a free-scoring United side who have found the net 18 times in seven games this season.
Although United are the heavy favourites, they will also have their own skeletons to deal with, having lost to Villa on penalties in the FA WSL Cup match in October after an entertaining 1-1 draw after 90 minutes.
Their recent failures against Villa combined with the pressure surrounding this historical day could leave the door slightly ajar for Villa to sneak through.
Yes, they will have to be at their best, but a memorable win is by no means out of the question.
In other Aston Villa news, Carla Ward speaks out on the impact the returning Ruesha Littlejohn can have.