Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor has said her side are looking forward to hosting Manchester City this weekend in the Women’s Super League.
Saturday will see Sonia Bompastor’s side prepare for their biggest challenge of the 2024/25 campaign so far, as they welcome WSL table-toppers City to Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea currently occupy second spot in the WSL standings, just one-point adrift of the Cityzens with a game in hand. Despite the high-stakes feel of the fixture, Bompastor expressed that Chelsea are “looking forward to it.”
“It’s an important game against a very good team, and two good teams having good results,” she said. “We are looking forward to it, it’s really exciting. I think my job as a manager is making sure the players get the game plan for tomorrow right. We practiced this morning, and I think everything is so clear in every player’s head. We feel ready for the game tomorrow, even if we expect a tough game.”
The Blues remain unbeaten under the new management of Bompastor, with the ex-Lyon boss leading the side to six consecutive victories in the WSL, and three in Europe. Despite making the task look easy, she laughed: “It looks easy for you? Maybe not for me!”
“I think Emma [Hayes] left the club in such a great place, it was easy for me to come in and take the team after her- I’m thankful for that. But, there is still a lot of work to be done, even if we’ve been confident. We are in a good place.”
Chelsea will return to Stamford Bridge for the first time this WSL season, with west London expecting upwards of 20,000 fans to come through the turnstiles for the occasion.
“We always want to play in the big stadiums with nice environment,” Bompastor stated. “We also want to be back at Stanford bridge, we have a lot of history in that stadium. The players really love to play in that stadium, I also love to play in that stadium. Having our fans, feeling them, feeling their support, will be something good.”
Chelsea sit second in the WSL table with one game in hand / Soccrates Images/GettyImages
Chelsea and City are both likely to be in the title fight at the end of the WSL season, meaning this fixture may be a key decider in the fate of the league. Despite the buzz surrounding the meeting between the two sides, Bompastor was firm in her belief that the game “is not decisive”.
“I think this league is so competitive, and all the games are really difficult. Of course it will be an important game, but not decisive,” Bompastor firmly said. “We are heading into this game with a lot of confidence, even if we know Man City again has good squad and good players individually. We have a lot of quality and talent, and we feel ready for the game tomorrow.”
The winner of Saturday’s showdown at Stamford Bridge will claim the top spot in the WSL standings.
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