Aston Villa
[Image] Here’s the Championship Team of the Week for Matchday 21 featuring Norwich City and Leeds United stars
Championship team of the week – Matchday 21 (7-8 December 2018)
Another week of the Championship has gone by with expected drama unfolding and loads of place-switching in the table to make the promotion race as enticing as ever. While the league leaders and the second-placed, Norwich City and Leeds United respectively, won their games to keep their places intact, West Brom and Middlesbrough slip up by getting a draw.
Derby County won their game to get to 4th in the table, while Sheffield United returned to winning ways and took up the 3rd position in the table. Aston Villa are slowly making their way upwards as well, making it an interesting race for top-flight promotion week after week. We shouldn’t be surprised if this marathon endures turning points on a weekly basis till the final matchday.
Here’s the team of the week:
Championship team of the week
Formation – 4-4-2
Manager of the week – Chris Wilder (Sheffield United)
Declan Rudd (Preston)
He was a key part in Preston North End’s shock 1-0 win away at Nottingham Forest. The keeper made some fine stops to deny the home side.
Jayden Bogle (Derby County)
Assisted the only goal of the game and was impressive at right-back for the Rams, as they beat Wigan away from home.
Paul Downing (Blackburn Rovers)
He was a secured presence at the back for Rovers against a strong Middlesbrough team.
John Egan (Sheffield United)
Egan was fantastic at the back for United, as they won and kept a clean sheet away from home at Reading.
Erik Pieters
Eric Pieters (Stoke City)
The Dutchman was impressive at left-back, assisting one of the goals and helping the team maintain a clean sheet against Ipswich Town.
Anway El Ghazi (Aston Villa)
Scored a brace against West Brom and looked a real threat in wide areas for the Villans.
Marco Stiepermann (Norwich City)
The German was fantastic in the midfield for the Canaries and scored a good goal to cap his performance.
Richie Towell (Rotherham United)
The midfielder was impressive for Rotherham against Sheffield Wednesday. He netted the goal to epitomise his confident performance.
Kamil Grosicki (Hull City)
Scored the early goal for the Tigers and was a real threat for them in the game against Millwall.
Kemar Roofe
Kemar Roofe (Leeds United)
Scored the brace against QPR and looked a real threat in behind the defenders throughout the game.
Lucas Joao (Sheffield Wednesday)
Joao netted a brace against Rotherham United and was a constant menace to the opposition defence.
Liverpool Women host Aston Villa at St. Helens Stadium on Sunday in a match that could seal their fate as relegation candidates. The Reds sit at the bottom of the WSL table with just 7 points from 14 matches, while Villa occupy 8th with 16 points after suffering a late 2-1 defeat to Everton last weekend.
Gareth Taylor’s side are running out of time to save their season with just nine games remaining. The 3-1 loss to Manchester United exposed glaring defensive frailties that have plagued Liverpool all campaign, and Villa will fancy their chances of collecting three crucial points away from home.
Kick-off: 12:00 GMT, Sunday, February 8, 2026
Venue: St Helens Stadium, St Helens
TV: Sky Sports
Taylor’s Honeymoon Period Emphatically Over
The former Manchester City coach has endured a nightmare start to life at Liverpool, winning just once in the league this season against Tottenham on January 25th. That solitary victory briefly offered hope before reality crashed back down at Old Trafford last weekend.
Martha Thomas, Denise O’Sullivan, and Alice Bergstrom have provided attacking quality since arriving in January, but the Reds continue shipping goals at an alarming rate. Liverpool have conceded 24 goals already, giving them the joint worst defensive record alongside West Ham.
Villa Struggling for Consistency
Aston Villa threw away a winning position against Everton after Ebony Salmon’s early opener, eventually succumbing to Martina Fernandez’s late strike. Natalia Arroyo’s side remains frustratingly inconsistent despite flashes of quality throughout the season.
The Villans beat Brighton 2-1 before the Everton loss, but were thrashed 4-1 by Manchester United the week prior. Villa needs to string together consecutive wins if they harbour any ambitions of climbing back towards mid table.
Predicted Lineups:
Liverpool (4-1-4-1): Falk; Shimizu, Clark, Fisk, Bernabe; Nagano; Bergstrom, O’Sullivan, Kapocs, Holland; Thomas
Aston Villa (3-4-2-1): Roebuck; Blinkilde, Mayling, Pacheco; Mullett, Dali, Blindkilde, Deslandes; Salmon, Lehmann; Daly
Leicester City Women host Manchester United at the King Power Stadium on Sunday as both sides look to strengthen their positions in the WSL table. The Foxes sit ninth with 12 points from 14 matches, while United occupy fifth place with 27 points, just one point behind third placed Arsenal in the race for automatic Champions League qualification.
Marc Skinner’s side comes into this match full of confidence after reaching the Women’s League Cup final with a 1-0 victory over Arsenal. However, they then suffered a setback with a 4-1 defeat at Aston Villa, meaning United desperately need three points to keep pace with the top three. Leicester have been transformed under Rick Passmoor and will fancy their chances of causing an upset.
Kick-off: 14:00 GMT, Saturday, 7 February 2026
Venue: King Power Stadium, Leicester
TV: Sky Sports and WSL YouTube
United Must Bounce Back From Villa Hammering
Manchester United’s 4-1 defeat at Aston Villa was a shocking result that exposed defensive frailties Skinner thought he had solved. Ella Toone remains out until March with a hip injury, robbing United of their most creative midfielder during a crucial period in the season.
Fridolina Rolfo should return after missing the Villa match, while Gabby George and Leah Galton remain sidelined. Elisabeth Terland has struggled for form recently despite scoring against Villa, netting just two goals since her flying start to the campaign. Ellen Wangerheim could feature after impressing in recent weeks.
Lehmann Arrival Transforms Leicester Attack
Leicester have been revitalized since Rick Passmoor took charge, steadying the ship after a difficult start to the season. The January signing of Alisha Lehmann from FC Como represents a major coup for the Foxes, bringing WSL experience and proven quality from her time with West Ham, Everton and Aston Villa.
Rachel Williams, signed from Tottenha,m provides another attacking threat alongside Jutta Rantala. This is a genuinely dangerous Leicester side capable of punishing any complacency from United, who cannot afford another slip up in their top three pursuit.
Predicted Lineups
Leicester (4-2-3-1): Leitzig; Nevin, Howard, Pacheco, Goodwin; Cain, Whelan; Lehmann, Tierney, Chan; Williams
Manchester United (4-2-3-1): Tullis-Joyce; Lundkvist, Le Tissier, Janssen, Sandberg; Miyazawa, Naalsund; Malard, Terland, Rolfo; Schuller
Also read: Arsenal WFC vs. Leicester City WFC: Predicted Lineups + Match Preview
Manchester United Women travel to Villa Park on Sunday morning looking to build momentum after reaching their first ever Women’s League Cup final.
The Red Devils beat Arsenal 1-0 in Wednesday’s semi final through Elisabeth Terland’s strike, and Marc Skinner will demand his side carry that confidence into the WSL.
United sit fifth in the standings, just four points behind third placed Arsenal who occupy the last Champions League qualification spot. Aston Villa won the corresponding fixture 1-0 earlier this season and have won their last two games at Villa Park, making this a genuinely tricky assignment.
Kick-off: 11:55 GMT, Sunday, January 26, 2026
Venue: Villa Park, Birmingham
TV: Sky Sports+ app (UK)
Injury Crisis Continues for Skinner
United will be without Fridolina Rolfo, Gabby George, Leah Galton and Ella Toone once again. Skinner confirmed the quartet remain sidelined, though Rolfo is training and could return soon. “Hopefully Frido and Gabby are close and then a little bit longer for Leah and Tooney. Apart from that, everyone else is available,” he said.
Ellen Wangerheim could make her WSL debut after starting Wednesday’s cup semi final. This would be an exciting development for United fans desperate to see what the Swedish forward can do in the league.
Villa Missing Key Duo
Aston Villa will be without captain Rachel Daly and forward Chasity Grant through injury, which significantly weakens their attacking threat. However, they have strengthened in January by signing Chelsea midfielder Oriane Jean-Francois and American fullback Jenna Nighswonger on loan from Arsenal.
Predicted Lineups:
Aston Villa (4-3-3): Leat; Corsie, Turner, Patten, Mayling; Nobbs, Leon, Taylor; Hanson, Daly, Salmon
Manchester United (4-2-3-1): Tullis-Joyce; Lundkvist, Le Tissier, Janssen, Sandberg; Miyazawa, Naalsund; Malard, Terland, Awujo; Schuller
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