Liverpool Women's boss Matt Beard has said his side can "kick-start" their season with a win against Aston Villa ahead of a crucial run of fixtures in the Women's Super League.
The Reds have won just one of five games on their return to the top flight, but their poor run of form is somewhat mitigated by the fact they have started their campaign with games against four of last season's top five. Liverpool currently sit in tenth place, and will look to climb up the table when they welcome Aston Villa to Prenton Park on Sunday.
The Villans have endured a mixed start to the season, and have suffered three consecutive defeats after triumhping over Manchester City and Leicester in September. The visit of Carla Ward's side marks the start of a kinder run of games for Liverpool, with the Reds set to take on Brighton, Reading and West Ham after the upcoming international break.
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“I think we can take a lot of heart and confidence from these first five games but we know that this next six to eight weeks is going to be big," Beard said ahead of Sunday's match.
“You can never take anything for granted. It’s a tough league with lots of good teams. We believe in ourselves and have confidence in ourselves and have been dealt one or two cruel blows injury wise at the start of the year. Maybe that’s had something to do with some of the chances we’ve had and maybe not converted, but I think we’re in a good place going into this run of fixtures."
Beard said earlier this week that the coming months will "define" Liverpool's season, with the manager urging his team to " start turning these performances into points". The Reds were dealt a huge injury blow on Thursday, when it was confirmed Liverpool midfielder Ceri Holland is set to be sidelined for several weeks with a groin problem.
The Wales international has been a regular fixture in the centre of the park for the Reds this season, but was forced to withdraw from the starting lineup ahead of Sunday's clash with Manchester City after pulling up in the warm-up. The 24-year-old subsequently underwent a scan which revealed she had sustained a groin injury that could see her miss up to four weeks.
“It’s a big blow because Ceri’s had a fantastic season so far for us," the manager said. "Hopefully she’ll back in contention for Brighton with the international break coming up -but its a big blow because she’s powerful she’s quick, she loves running and she causes teams problems with her runs. "
While Liverpool will be without Holland this weekend, the return of marquee summer signing, Shanice van de Sanden, to the matchday squad against Manchester City will help to bolster the Reds attacking options against Villa. The Dutch winger made was brought on for the closing stages of the contest last Sunday, but Beard confirmed it will be several more weeks before she is likely to feature in the starting lineup.
“She’s going to be probably post Brighton maybe for starting games," he said. "She’s got through full weeks of training now so it’s probably going to be more like 30-40 minutes this weekend but that will obviously be dependent on how the game is going and performance levels.
"We’ll have another two weeks in the international break to get her up to speed. We’re delighted she’s back because not only she an important player on the pitch, she’s an important player in the dressing room. She’s such a god character, such a good person, and it just gives everyone a lift."
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