CHELSEA FACE LYON
Chelsea Women face one of their biggest early tests of the season when they travel to France to meet Lyon in the Women’s Champions League.
The match brings an extra storyline because Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor returns to the club where she previously coached.
Bompastor enjoyed a successful spell with Lyon before taking charge at Chelsea. She will now face her former team in a competitive European match for the first time as Chelsea boss.
Chelsea have already started the league phase with a 1-0 victory over Austria Vienna.
Lyon also opened their campaign with an emphatic result, beating Servette 8-0.
That makes Wednesday’s meeting particularly interesting.
Chelsea are also dealing with injuries. Erin Cuthbert, Manaka Matsukubo and Mayra Ramírez are among the players unavailable.
However, there is positive squad news.
Nathalie Björn and Melvine Malard have returned to the travelling group, while young midfielder Lexi Potter has also been included after receiving her first senior England call-up.
Chelsea therefore travel with a strong squad despite the absences.
The match also carries history.
The teams have previously met in the Champions League, including a dramatic 2023 quarter-final decided by penalties after Chelsea scored a stoppage-time equaliser.
This time, there is no knockout second leg.
Every point matters in the league phase.