Birmingham City v Aston Villa: Blues boss Carla Ward says Villa are team under pressure

Birmingham City won the reverse fixture 1-0 at Villa Park in November

Birmingham City manager Carla Ward says the pressure will be on Aston Villa in their Women's Super League derby as both teams fight to avoid relegation.

The Blues are currently third-bottom in the table, two points and one place above rivals Aston Villa.

Just five points separate the bottom five teams, with Bristol City currently occupying the only relegation spot.

"The pressure for me is on Villa. They need three points. We need a point but will go out to get three," said Ward.

"We get asked all the time if we're feeling the pressure but we're not. We know what we need to do and where we're at. The mood in camp is relaxed.

"We try to take as much pressure off ourselves as we can, while making sure there's clear focus on the job in hand."

Birmingham won the reverse fixture at Villa Park in November thanks to a second-half goal from striker Claudia Walker.

"My first derby earlier on in the season was one I'll never forget," said Ward, who joined Birmingham in the summer. "We want to ensure we do it for the club and the fans.

"When you look at a derby, form goes out the window and a relegation battle goes out the window. It's two clubs going wholeheartedly head-to-head.

"It will be who wants it more, who leaves it out there and carries out the game plan better. We want to get after them.

"There will be no sitting back and soaking it up to play for a point. I don't understand how anyone plays for a point. We will go out there, do the best we can and hopefully get three points."

'That pressure is a privilege'

Birmingham City are two points and one place above Aston Villa in the table

Villa travel to their neighbours off the back of two successive draws with relegation rivals West Ham and Bristol City.

They play West Ham again on Sunday, 2 May following Wednesday's game with Birmingham in what could be a season-defining week.

Villa forward Stine Larsen says the squad are "confident" going into the derby and there is an added "spice" to the occasion given what is at stake in the league table.

"[The derby] means a lot. The game in general means a lot for the team and I can't wait. I know it's a big game and it makes it more exciting," she told BBC Sport.

"You can say it adds some spice to it. It's going to be an intense game, that's for sure.

"There's always pressure on and especially now. We have spoken about that pressure being a privilege. It's a good thing. I like that. I think both teams can feel the pressure."