Aston Villa Women have confirmed their starting XI for the opening Women’s Super League game of the season against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Natalia Arroyo has handed a competitive Villa debut to goalkeeper Akane Okuma, while Amalie Vangsgaard starts in attack and Lucia Kendall captains the side.
Villa begin the new campaign against a Chelsea team that has won all 12 previous WSL meetings between the clubs, making this an immediate test of Arroyo’s summer rebuild.
Aston Villa Women confirmed XI vs Chelsea
Villa line up with:
Okuma; Harviken, Kielland, Hijikata, Wilms, Parker, Maritz, Grant, Vangsgaard, Kendall (c), McAulay.
The substitutes are:
Kelly, Patten, Mullett, Murphy, Deslandes, Taylor, Scott.
Okuma is one of the most notable selections.
The Japan international joined Villa this summer after leaving INAC Kobe Leonessa and immediately gets the nod for the opening league fixture.
Villa also include another summer arrival, Vangsgaard, in the starting XI. The Denmark international joined permanently from Juventus in July after scoring 16 goals during 74 appearances for the Italian club.
The extent of Villa’s overhaul was detailed in our Aston Villa Women summer rebuild analysis, and today provides the first competitive indication of how Arroyo intends to put that new squad together.
Kendall captains Villa at Stamford Bridge
Kendall wears the armband in midfield as Villa attempt to end a miserable historical record against Chelsea.
Chelsea have won every previous WSL meeting between the two clubs, although Villa pushed them extremely close in a 4-3 defeat last season.
The hosts have also named a strong XI featuring Hannah Hampton, Lucy Bronze, Katie McCabe, Keira Walsh, Lauren James and Aggie Beever-Jones.
Villa do at least receive a small pre-match boost from Chelsea’s absences.
Sonia Bompastor has already confirmed that Mayra Ramirez and Manaka Matsukubo are unavailable, something we covered in our Chelsea Women injury update before the Aston Villa opener.
Supporters can also find the broadcast details in our Chelsea Women vs Aston Villa Women TV guide, with the match live on BBC.
Kick-off is at 12.30pm at Stamford Bridge.
