Aston Villa return to Villa Park on Sunday still searching for their first Women’s Super League victory of the season, with Crystal Palace the visitors in the final league fixture before the international break.
Villa have collected two points from their opening four matches and sit 13th, while Palace have made the stronger start with five points. Both sides did at least head into the weekend with confidence from midweek, recording convincing wins in the Subway Players Cup.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace Match information
Competition: Women’s Super League
Fixture: Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
Date: Sunday, 4 October 2026
Kick-off: 3pm BST
Venue: Villa Park
Broadcast: Sky Sports / YouTube
Aston Villa looking for a response
Villa’s opening four league matches have produced draws against Chelsea and Brighton alongside defeats to Manchester City and Tottenham.
The most concerning result came last weekend, when Brian Sørensen’s side were beaten 4-0 by Spurs. Villa have scored only three times in the WSL and conceded ten, with creating enough high-quality opportunities proving particularly difficult.
There was a much-needed response on Wednesday. Villa beat Newcastle United 3-1 in the Players Cup, with Lily Murphy opening the scoring before substitute Lucia Kendall struck twice. Sørensen was particularly pleased with the attacking intent, describing his team as front-footed and willing to play forward throughout the match.
The challenge now is transferring that into the league. Murphy’s display could put her in contention for a larger role, while Kendall’s two goals give Sørensen another attacking option. However, with several changes made for the cup fixture, Villa could return closer to the side that started against Tottenham.
Crystal Palace building momentum
Palace’s WSL record of one win, two draws and one defeat represents a solid start. They opened with a 1-0 victory over Everton and held Arsenal before suffering a heavy 7-0 defeat against Tottenham. Last weekend’s 3-3 draw at Birmingham showed a better response, although Palace have also conceded ten league goals.
Jo Potter’s side have subsequently won twice in the Players Cup without conceding, beating Watford 1-0 before Wednesday’s 3-0 victory over Charlton.
That latest result was achieved despite Potter making eight changes. Shanade Hopcroft, Shannon O’Brien and Lexi Lloyd-Smith scored, giving the Palace head coach several selection decisions before the trip to Villa Park.
Palace have scored four goals in four WSL matches and have averaged only 34 per cent possession, suggesting they do not need to control long periods of the ball to compete. Villa’s average is only slightly higher at 36.8 per cent, so Sunday’s contest could be decided more by which team uses its attacking moments effectively.
Team news and predicted line-ups
Neither club has provided a significant fresh team-news update ahead of the game, so the recent WSL selections offer the best guide.
Villa started the Tottenham defeat with Akane Okuma in goal behind Anna Patten, Lucy Parker and Noelle Maritz, while Miriael Taylor and Mayumi Hirikata operated in the wider roles. Amalie Vangsgaard and Lucia Kendall were among the attacking options.
Palace’s league XI against Birmingham included Poppy Pritchard-Magnin in goal, with Molly Bartrip, Abbie Swaby and Tyler Goldie in defence. Annabel Blanchard, Hopcroft, Lloyd-Smith and Bethany England were also in the starting side.
Predicted Aston Villa XI: Okuma; Maritz, Patten, Parker; Hirikata, Harviken, Taylor, Grant; Kendall, Vangsgaard, Wilms.
Predicted Crystal Palace XI: Pritchard-Magnin; Goldie, Swaby, Bartrip; Napier, Blanchard, Everett, Hopcroft; O’Brien, England, Lloyd-Smith.
Prediction
There is little separating these teams statistically after four matches. Both have conceded ten goals, while Palace have scored four to Villa’s three.
Palace have been slightly more convincing in the league so far, but Villa’s midweek performance offered some encouragement after the difficult defeat at Tottenham. Playing at Villa Park should also give Sørensen’s side an opportunity to be more proactive.
Prediction: Aston Villa 1-1 Crystal Palace
Neither side has consistently created or converted enough chances to make a high-scoring game the obvious expectation. Palace have shown they can make life difficult for opponents, while Villa desperately need to turn improved performances into league points.
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