Aston Villa v Crystal Palace: Why the relegation picture will become clearer after this clash

Annabel Blanchard of Crystal Palace Women celebrates scoring the second goal for Crystal Palace Women with team mates during the Barclays Women's Super League match between Leicester City and Crystal Palace at The King Power Stadium on October 6, 2024 in Leicester, England.
Palace have had some solid performances so far (Image credit: Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images)

Aston Villa v Crystal Palace is a crucial match in the relegation battle in the Women's Super League.

Palace, who were promoted into the top-flight this season, have impressed with performances but have not had consistent results. They are currently 10th and just two points outside the relegation spot.

Villa, meanwhile, have had a bad start to the season with no wins from seven games. They are in 11th but have the same points as 12th-place Everton, only goal difference separates them.

Aston Villa v Crystal Palace: Are both teams in danger of the drop?

Rachel Daly has scored three league goals this season

Rachel Daly has scored three league goals this season

Fans can watch the game on Sunday on the league's YouTube channel with kick-off scheduled for 2pm GMT.

Villa and Palace will be fighting tooth and nail to claim all three points this weekend. A win would be huge for either side and could kickstart some consistency with winning momentum.

BBC Euro 2024 Rachel Corsie of Scotland gestures during the UEFA Women's EURO 2025 Qualifier match between Israel and Scotland at BSC Stadium on June 4, 2024 in Belgrade, Serbia. (Photo by Nikola Krstic/MB Media/Getty Images)

Scotland international Rachel Corsie will be trying tp deliver a win for Villa (Image credit: Getty Images)

Palace's struggles this season were anticipated as they are experiencing the top-flight for the first time.

Villa, however, were battling for a top four spot just a few seasons ago. They finished fifth in the 2022/23 season and dropped to seventh last campaign. The current season has seen Villa's worst-ever start to a WSL campaign.

Their manager Carla Ward departed at the end of last season which could explain why the club's form has fallen off. Robert de Pauw is Villa's new manager and the start to his WSL career has been a poor one.

The boss is aware of the pressure on his shoulders, saying: "It's also football and a performance-driven company. So yeah, they cut off the head of the manager. If the performance drops and the results don't come, then you know what happens.

"I try to stay unattached to that because I know I can look myself in the mirror and the staff can look themselves in the mirror, that we do everything about it. We know we work hard and we leave no stone unturned before every game."

Palace are the more likely to come away with a result this weekend, in FourFourTwo's view, because their performances have been promising. Villa have not impressed at all this season and will have to grind out a result if they are to take anything from it.

Rachel Daly is in good form despite the results, having scored three goals so far in the league season.

The former England player, who won the Euros in 2022, will hope to fire her club to their first win on Saturday.

Sarah Rendell
Women's football editor

Sarah joined the FourFourTwo team in September 2024 in a freelance role. She also writes for The Guardian, BBC and Rugby World where she specialises in women's football and rugby. Sarah has a bachelors degree in English and a master's in newspaper journalism.