Having suffered defeat against Manchester City on Wednesday in the Champions League, Sonia Bompastor says it's her Chelsea side's 'job to bounce back' against the same opponent in the Women's Super League on Sunday.
The Blues are back in action on Sunday as we once again face City in the third of four consecutive games against Nick Cushing's side. Chelsea remain unbeaten in 16 WSL games and sit eight points clear of Arsenal in second.
Ahead of that match, Bompastor confirmed there are no fresh injury concerns. But those who did not feature at the Joie Stadium will once again be unavailable.
The Chelsea head coach also provided an update on Sam Kerr's fitness as she continues her recovery from an ACL injury sustained in January 2024.
‘Sam Kerr won’t be with us before the next international break,' Bompastor confirmed. We will go week by week and maybe after the international break we will have a better idea when she will be with us.’
The 2-0 midweek loss to Man City in the Champions League was Chelsea's first of the season, but is not decisive as the Blues have the opportunity to fight back in the second leg at Stamford Bridge next Thursday.
That left Bompastor, for the first time since arriving at Chelsea last summer, in the unique situation of having to lift her players following the first defeat of the entire campaign.
‘It's our job to bounce back, even if it’s difficult,' she admitted. 'It hadn't happened yet this season but in previous seasons the players experienced that with the club and with their national teams.
'My players have a lot of experience and in your career you will have the experience of losing games. For me, it's important to analyse the performance and as a team bounce back and stay positive.
'It’s important for me to stay with the facts: we lost an important game but we are still alive. In this situation, we still have one leg to play; we are not dead in the Champions League. So there is still hope for that reason.
'When you look at the bigger picture we are top of the table in the league, have won one trophy, and are into the semi-finals of the FA Cup. So all these elements bring us some confidence.'
Tickets are still available for our Champions League quarter final second leg tie with Manchester City at Stamford Bridge. You can book your tickets for this must-see game on Thursday 27 March here.