Aston Villa a ‘must-perform’ game for Crystal Palace says Smerud | OneFootball

Crystal Palace manager Leif Smerud says that his side must perform well in Sunday’s Barclays Women’s Super League fixture against Aston Villa.

The Eagles take on The Villans at the VBS Community Stadium in Sutton. Crystal Palace are bottom of the table, four points adrift of opponents Aston Villa.

When speaking in the pre-match press conference, Crystal Palace boss Smerud stopped short of labelling the game a ‘must-win’ for his side but he did say that there is a need to perform well.

“It’s probably a ‘must-perform’, we have to do that,” Smerud said. “We know that and that’s my focus. We focus on what we can control. We know we can compete, we want to do that and then there are still many games left.

“Anyone can see the table and what the game means. We must perform, that is important.”

Crystal Palace have put in strong defensive displays in Smerud’s first two games in charge, losing out by a single goal to both Liverpool and Chelsea. Smerud wants his side to continue to take steps forward against Aston Villa.

He said “I think we are taking steps. The first game, I had one day [to prepare] but I could see some of the things that I wanted to see and then I think we took a step in some phases of the game against Chelsea.

“Obviously, we had to defend a lot against one of the best teams in the world which was expected but it gave us some answers in taking steps. I’ve changed the formation, changed a few things and it’s always good to see a response. Hopefully, we take a new step this weekend. The response has been good.”

Three of Crystal Palace’s four remaining home games are against sides in the bottom half of the table. Smerud wants The Eagles to make the most of home advantage in those games.

He said “I think that’s important. It should be an advantage to play at home and we hope to make it one. We also know from the points taken away [from home] for the other teams that they don’t like playing away.

“We need to build on this being our home ground and I look forward to that. We have taken steps and have conceded fewer goals. It’s now time to add a new layer to it. I prefer to play at home, we have some great supporters, so I’m looking forward to it.”

Crystal Palace’s Barclays Women’s Super League fixture against Aston Villa kicks-off at 2pm on Sunday afternoon. Tickets remain on-sale and can be purchased by clicking here.