Having failed to win any of their last four league games, West Ham United Women will look to return to winning ways when they face Aston Villa Women on Sunday.
The visitors, meanwhile, will be aiming to extend their unbeaten run in the Women's Super League to six matches.
Match preview
Since beating Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in November, West Ham have failed to win any of their four league games in 2023.
Their only point in that four-game period came courtesy of a hard-earned goalless draw against title hopefuls Arsenal.
The Hammers looked set to pick up another point in their away meeting with Reading last weekend when Vivianne Asseyi cancelled out Charlie Wellings's opener, but Rachel Rowe's 85th-minute winner ensured that West Ham returned to the capital empty-handed.
West Ham are aiming to finish in the top half for a second straight season, and they remain in seventh position with three points separating them from sixth-placed Everton, who have played a game more.
Paul Konchesky's side lost on penalties to Aston Villa when the two sides met in the FA Cup last month, but they do have the chance to complete a league double over the Villans after winning the reverse fixture 2-1 in September.
Aston Villa strengthened their side in the January transfer window, signing the likes of Jordan Nobbs and Lucy Staniforth, and those additions have helped Carla Ward's side embark on a five-game unbeaten league run.
In their most recent outing, Aston Villa recorded a 2-0 away victory over Everton thanks to a fifth-minute strike from Kenza Dali and Megan Finnigan's second-half own goal.
Having achieved consecutive league wins, fifth-placed Aston Villa appear to be on course to achieve a top-half finish, which would represent an improvement on last season when they finished in ninth position.
In fact, they have already picked up two more points this term than they collected in the entirety of their 2021-22 campaign.
If the visitors can score the first goal on Sunday, they will be confident of adding three more points to their tally as they have won all three away league games this season where they have opened the scoring.
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Team News
The hosts are still unable to call upon the services of Amber Tysiak and Jess Ziu, who are sidelined with injury issues.
West Ham captain Dagny Brynjarsdottir missed the 2-1 defeat to Reading through illness, and she remains a doubt for Sunday's contest.
Despite being edged out by the Royals last weekend, Konchesky could opt for consistency and name an unchanged lineup.
As for the visitors, goalkeeper Anna Leat remains sidelined with a back problem, while Remi Allen and Simone Magill continue to work individually on their respective recoveries.
Aston Villa are also without long-term absentees Meaghan Sargeant, Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah and Natasha Harding.
With a number of players unavailable, Ward is expected to stick with the same lineup that began last Sunday's 2-0 away victory over Everton.
West Ham United Women possible starting lineup:
Arnold; Shimizu, Cissoko, Fisk, Smith; Snerle, Parker, Longhurst, Asseyi; Hayashi; Thestrup
Aston Villa Women possible starting lineup:
Hampton; Mayling, Turner, Corsie, Pacheco; Dali, Staniforth, Nobbs; Lehmann, Hanson, Daly
We say: West Ham United Women 1-2 Aston Villa Women
Although Aston Villa have never beaten West Ham in the WSL, they head into Sunday's contest in fine form, and we think they have the extra quality required to claim a narrow victory.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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