Aston Villa Women boss Carla Ward gets it wrong with ‘hurting’ verdict ahead of clash v Arsenal

Aston Villa Women have come on leaps and bounds under manager Carla Ward in recent times, having endured a nightmare start to the season.

A run of five straight defeats at the beginning of the Women’s Super League (WSL) campaign left them rock bottom of the standings.

But the manager has since steadied the ship, with the Midlands club currently occupying seventh place in the table.

They now have the chance to continue their recent rise when Arsenal Women come to town on Sunday (24 March).

The visitors go into the clash on the back of a disappointing 3-1 loss to Chelsea Women, with the defeat all but ending their title hopes this season.

Villa Women manager Ward has now shared her thoughts on the club’s upcoming opponents, telling Sky Sports: “They'll be hurting, so it's the worst time to play them I think.

“I know it myself, when you have a game like that, there's only one thing you want to do in that situation, you want to get straight back out there and put it right.”

Will Arsenal Women be low on confidence ahead of their clash with Aston Villa Women?

While Arsenal Women will be hurting, it could conversely be a great time to play them, with the North London club certain to be really lacking in confidence, unlike the hosts.

The upcoming meeting in Birmingham represents a great chance for the home side to pick up a famous win, and it is a match they should be more than up for having only just lost 4-0 to Arsenal Women in the Continental Cup semi-finals.

In other Aston Villa Women news, Aston Villa star Douglas Luiz recently sent a two-word message to Alisha Lehmann.

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