Liverpool boss Gareth Taylor has given a promising update on two players ahead of their rearranged Women’s Super League clash with Aston Villa.
Gareth Taylor hopes Liverpool duo will return against Aston Villa
Ahead of Aston Villa vs Liverpool on Thursday, Gareth Taylor revealed that Gemma Bonner and Ceri Holland could both make their returns.
The pair were both absent at the weekend, as Liverpool fell to a late 2-1 defeat to European champions Arsenal.
However, Grace Fisk is unlikely to feature for Liverpool, as she recovers from an injury she suffered on England duty.
Taylor said: “It wasn’t good for the Arsenal game in terms of the limitations we had, but we are hoping to get Ceri Holland and Gemma Bonner back for Thursday’s game. It probably wouldn’t be to start but at least it leaves us looking a little bit healthier.
“Grace Fisk is going to be a little bit longer and then it’s a really tight turnaround for Sunday’s game. But I think there was some positive news this morning with Gemma and with Ceri as well, so that helps us just a little bit.”
We’re live from the AXA Melwood Training Centre as Gareth Taylor previews our two upcoming @BarclaysWSL away trips to Aston Villa and West Ham United 🎙️ https://t.co/lhXMgohk5J
— Liverpool FC Women (@LiverpoolFCW) December 9, 2025
Taylor was frustrated with Fisk’s injury, as it left him short in terms of defensive options against Arsenal, with Risa Shimizu also unavailable.
During his press conference, Taylor also spoke about Marie Hobinger, who is currently out with an ACL injury.
A 42-man pleaded guilty to stalking Hobinger with repeated messages and attending one of Liverpool’s games last season.
Taylor said: “We massively care about Marie and the situation she is going through. It’s not nice, particularly the fact she’s been named. Nobody wants to see these things happening in any walk of life.”
Liverpool still winless in the WSL
Taylor will be desperate for his Liverpool side to pick up their first WSL win of the season against Aston Villa on Thursday night.
Liverpool have shown improvement in recent games with draws against Brighton and Chelsea, followed by a last-gasp defeat to Arsenal.
However, they have just two points on the board and are bottom of the WSL table.
The Reds face another crucial match on Sunday against West Ham, where a win could lift them off the bottom of the standings.
Why was Aston Villa vs Liverpool postponed?
Liverpool were originally due to travel to Villa Park on Matchday 3 of the WSL back in September.
However, the match was postponed following the death of Matt Beard.
Beard led Liverpool to two WSL titles during the 2010s, and got them promoted back to the WSL during his second stint at the club. Beard left Liverpool in February this year and was briefly head coach of third-tier Burnley before he died, aged 47, in September.
