The players and staff are enjoying some well-earned rest over the Christmas and New Year period, and the trip to Spain provides an opportunity to regroup and refocus ahead of a busy fixture schedule across three competitions in January.

It was a successful first half of the season in domestic and European competition for the Blues, who finished 2022 sitting top of the league table, while progressing to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Women’s Champions League as group winners.

Our league campaign resumes with a trip to Arsenal on Sunday 15 January, before Liverpool are the visitors to Kingsmeadow on Sunday 22 January. We will be looking to maintain our title challenge and continue our impressive unbeaten run that stretches back to September.

This precedes our entry into the Continental Cup at the quarter-final stage, where we will visit Tottenham Hotspur, before hosting Liverpool for the second time in the space of a week on Sunday 29 January, this time for the FA Cup fourth round proper.

Fans should keep an eye on our club channels to follow the squad’s activity, with Emma Hayes and the coaching team putting the squad through their paces as preparations for the return to competitive action get underway.