Chelsea will host Aston Villa in the opening game of the 2024/25 Women’s Super League season, with both sides under new managers at the start of the campaign.
Defending champions Chelsea are left with a huge gap to fill in the summer after Emma Hayes took her expertise to the US national team. However, they have found someone to fill his place with good credentials as a player and manager in former Lyon coach Sonia Bompastor.
Early signs are good as the Blues chase a sixth straight WSL title, with Bompastor beating Gotham FC, Arsenal and Feyenoord in pre-season. Their latest outing against their Dutch foes saw them score nine goals without reply, with youngster Aggie Beever-Jones bagging a hat-trick on 17 minutes.
Chelsea’s first test of securing their title under Bompastor comes in Friday’s WSL opener at home to Aston Villa. Robert de Pauw has taken charge of the Midlands side following the departure of Carla Ward and the Dutchman will be aiming to improve on last season’s seventh-placed finish.
Here it is 90 min Guide to Chelsea vs Aston Villa on Friday.
Chelsea vs Aston Villa H2H Record (Last Five Matches)
Current form (all competitions)
|
Chelsea |
Aston Villa |
|---|---|
|
Chelsea 9-0 Feyenoord – 07/09/24 |
Aston Villa 2-1 Man City – 14/09/24 |
|
Chelsea 1-0 Arsenal – 25/08/24 |
Everton 1-3 Aston Villa – 08/09/24 |
|
Gotham FC 1-3 Chelsea – 20/08/24 |
Charlton 2-2 Aston Villa – 01/09/24 |
|
Man Utd 0-6 Chelsea – 18/05/24 |
Aston Villa 1-0 Real Betis – 23/08/24 |
|
Tottenham 0-1 Chelsea – 15/08/24 |
Liverpool 0-1 Aston Villa – 17/08/24 |
|
The country |
TV channel/live streaming |
|---|---|
|
United Kingdom |
BBC Two, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport Website |
|
United States |
N/A |
|
Canada |
Sportsnet Now Plus |
Chelsea suffered a setback in their pre-season win over Feyenoord, with Sophie Ingle the latest player to suffer an ACL injury. She joins Sam Kerr, Erin Cuthbert, Catarina Macario, Mia Fishel and Aniek Nouwen in the treatment room.
The Blues could offer a number of summer signings on Friday, including Lucy Bronze and Sandy Baltimore. Elsewhere, Oriane Jean-Francois will be hoping to make her debut against the reigning WSL champions.
Chelsea predicted to face Aston Villa (4-2-3-1): Musovic; Brass, Bright, Buchanan, Charles; Nusken, Captain; Kaneryd, James, Baltimore; Ramirez.
Gabi Nunes was a brilliant addition to Villa and signed for £250,000 on the transfer deadline day from Liga F. He will undoubtedly play against Chelsea in some form but it may be too soon for him to start.
Rachel Daly will be new for the 2024/25 season and is joined in the Villa squad by exciting new players Missy Bo Kearns from Liverpool, Katie Robinson from Brighton and defender Paula Tomas from Levante UD.
Aston Villa predicted to face Chelsea (4-2-3-1): D’Angelo; Mayling, Corsie, Turner, Thomas; Staniforth, Nobbs; Leon, Dali, Hanson; Daly.
On paper, Chelsea will be favorites in all their home games this season, especially against mid-table opponents like Villa. However, De Pauw’s side have impressed in pre-season, signing smart players and winning all five friendlies – including a recent victory over Manchester City.
Despite Villa’s encouraging form, Chelsea are still the WSL’s top dogs and should secure a win on Friday. While Bompastor’s reign may have had a few bumps in the road, the WSL’s season opener is unlikely to be one of them.
Prediction: Chelsea 3-1 Aston Villa
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