Chelsea kicked off their 2024-25 Women's Champions League campaign with a 3-2 victory at home to Real Madrid in Group B.

The victory puts the Blues in second in their group after one match, while it was a perfect start for manager Sonia Bompastor, who was taking charge of her first Champions League game for the club.

Bompastor led Lyon to the Champions League final in two of the last three seasons, winning it in 2021-22. She will be hoping to do the same in west London this season and things got off to the perfect start for her and Chelsea in this game.

Sjoeke Nusken's second-minute goal put the home side ahead - unsurprisingly, that is the quickest goal in the Champions League this season.

In miserable weather at Stamford Bridge, things got even better for the hosts after they were awarded a penalty for a foul on Nusken. Guro Reiten made it 2-0 from the spot in the 28th minute, with Madrid goalkeeper Misa Rodriguez unable to get a hand to it despite diving the right way.

But Madrid were back in it 11 minutes later, with Alba Redondo finishing tidily through Zecira Musovic's legs - her second Champions League goal in as many matches.

They were unable to make the most of that lifeline, with Chelsea restoring their two-goal advantage soon after the break. Mayra Ramirez scored her first goal of the season, heading in Lauren James' cross seven minutes after the restart.

The drama was not finished though. Substitute Linda Caicedo once again cut the deficit for the visitors, making it a nervy final seven minutes for Chelsea, but the home side held on to claim a valuable three points.

Chelsea have now lost just one of their last 19 group stage matches (W13 D5) and are unbeaten across their last 13 (W10 D3); the only other team to have participated in every group stage since they were introduced in 2021 and lost just once is Barcelona (W16 D1).

Elsewhere in Group B, Celtic were beaten 2-0 by FC Twente in their opener, which marked their first-ever game in the Champions League.

Kayleigh van Dooren netted twice for the Dutch side, although the Scottish champions held out until the 44th minute before conceding.

In truth, they were second-best with the visitors dominating possession, having over 70% of the ball, and taking double the shots on target of their hosts (six to three). Twente got a second five minutes from time and go top of the group.

Sonia Bompastor was frustrated by the decision to postpone Chelsea's Women's Super League match against Manchester United due to their Champions League involvement.

Chelsea were set to face United at a sold-out Kingsmeadow on Sunday, but it was postponed with a week's notice after the European schedule was announced.

The Blues will meet Real Madrid in their Champions League group-stage opener on Tuesday, just two days after the WSL match was due to take place.

The decision prompted frustration among fans, and it was echoed by Bompaster, who believes the postponement hinders Chelsea's preparation.

"We were disappointed as players and staff. I think everyone has to understand we were supposed to play," said Bompastor in her press conference on Monday.

"We were in a very good team dynamic, and I think not having the opportunity to play changed everything in preparation for the game with Real Madrid.

"When you have the opportunity to play one game a week, with this decision being made to postpone the game, now we have been out of competition for 10 days which is completely different.

"If you look at the situation, the decision is not good. I think it is not good for all the English clubs who are in the Champions League competition."

Chelsea are one of three English teams competing in Europe's top tier this season, with Arsenal and Manchester City also qualifying for the tournament.

Bompastor has overseen a bright start at Chelsea already, winning both games in the WSL so far by an aggregate 8-0.

The Frenchwoman led Lyon to Champions League glory as their captain in 2011 and 2012, and as their head coach in 2021, a feat nobody else has achieved in the tournament's history.

And Bompastor is now keen to get underway in the competition as Chelsea's manager and expects a good show at Stamford Bridge.

"It's a really special competition, which means a lot to every player and every member of staff," Bompastor added.

"The Champions League is so competitive. You cannot underestimate any team. Real Madrid have had some changes in their squad, they've brought some new players, and they are different from last season.

"For me and the staff who have come in, it's the first time we are going to face Real Madrid. I know they are one of the most competitive teams in the Spanish league, and how many talented players they have in the squad.

"They love to possess the ball. It will be a tough game, and we are ready for that. For the fans in the stadium and watching on TV, it will be a great game."

As we gear up for another edition of the Women's Champions League, the excitement around this iconic club competition is as tantalising as ever.

This season's tournament, which starts on Tuesday, brings with it new managers and big moves from some top players, as the best and brightest across women's European football go toe-to-toe.

Sixteen teams have qualified and will now battle it out to be crowned champions of Europe in Lisbon next year.

The tournament will welcome Celtic and Galatasaray, who have become the first teams from Scotland and Turkiye, respectively, to reach the group stage in this current format.

There are also debutants in the form of Swedish side Hammarby, who turned heads in the qualifying rounds by knocking out last season's quarter-finalists Benfica.

After trailing in the first leg, Hammarby managed to claim a historic victory. No team had ever previously overturned a first-leg deficit in a Women's Champions League qualifier.

Barcelona are the reigning champions after they beat Lyon in the final back in May.

The growth and strength of the Women's Super League has been reflected in this year's final 16. With Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City all qualifying, England are now only the third nation to have three teams reach the group stage of the competition, with Germany and France having done so previously.

Europe's best are ready to battle it out, but who are the contenders, and which players could light up the 2024-25 edition?

The main contenders

Holders Barcelona will have a fight on their hands to retain their trophy this season, but they also have a strong chance of making more history themselves.

Barca are striving to become only the second club to win a third consecutive Champions League, and they will also bid to equal Lyon's record of appearing in five straight finals, with the French side having achieved the feat between 2016 and 2020.

Barca grew into a dominant force under former boss Jonatan Giraldez, who is now coaching Washington Spirit. 

Former assistant coach to Giraldez, Pere Romeu, will have to see if he can continue the club's quest for trophies, but the bar has been set high by that quadruple last season.

Teams will be looking for the chink in the Catalans' armour. Defensively, Barca were generally excellent last season, though they did have a slight defensive underperformance, conceding 1.6 goals more than would have been anticipated based on their expected goals against (xGA) figures in the Champions League, albeit when discounting own goals, that underperformance dropped to 0.6.

They also had the meanest defence in the competition when it came to clean sheets, keeping six to help them win nine games. 

The best sides in front of goal last season were, unsurprisingly, the two teams that reached the final – Barca and Lyon. They netted 36 times each across 11 games apiece.

Lyon, although under new leadership, are the most successful side in the history of the competition, winning eight titles, and they are difficult to look past as the team to beat.

Their free-shooting, free-flowing attacking system under former coach Sonia Bompastor saw them produce a whopping 270 attempts on goal last term, an average of 24.5 per game. Barca (237) were second for shots, and shot conversion rate (15.19%), meanwhile.

Lyon's xG was a tournament-leading 35.4, while Barca's 29.11 ranked second – however, Barca greatly overperformed their xG.

Indeed, their 6.89 xG overperformance was the highest positive differential in last season's competition, proving their finishing was of an exceptionally high standard.

It will not all be about Barca and Lyon, though. Two other former continental champions, Arsenal and Wolfsburg, are sides who will see themselves as ready to dethrone Barca and taste European glory once more.

Wolfsburg are six-time finalists and two-time champions, so they should never be discounted. Nor should Bayern Munich, who have won the Frauen-Bundesliga title in the last two seasons.

Bayern went out in the group stage last season, only winning one of their six games, but they should fare better this time around. 

And while they are yet to go all the way in Europe, Chelsea and Manchester City could also be forces to be reckoned with.

English trio to challenge

Bompastor led Lyon to victory as their captain in 2011 and 2012 and as their head coach in 2021, an incredible feat that nobody else has achieved in the tournament's history.

She now finds herself in charge of English Champions Chelsea and will be keen to lead her new side to their first Champions League title.

Chelsea, who reached the semi-finals, had the best shot conversion rate (15.38%) in the 2023-24 tournament, scoring 20 goals from 130 shots.

Bompastor will hope to build on her own success and knowledge of the competition and become the first manager to lead an English side to European success since Arsenal's victory in the 2006-07 season.

Despite winning everything there is to win domestically under previous boss Emma Hayes, this is a trophy that has evaded the Blues and they are desperate for success. They lost 4-0 in a humiliating final outing versus Barcelona in 2020-21.

Serial winner Lucy Bronze has been brought into the Chelsea fold by Bompastor, and a huge factor in that transfer was her experience of Champions League success. The ambitious defender will aim to become only the second player, after Conny Pohlers, to win the competition with three different sides, previously lifting the trophy with Lyon and Barcelona.

City, meanwhile, are appearing in the group stages for the first time since the competition's format was changed in 2021 and Gareth Taylor and his team will be keen to show Europe's best why they have pushed Chelsea all the way in the WSL in recent seasons. 

Last season's star players

Kadidiatou Diani was the leading scorer in last season's Champions League, netting eight goals, and she will be as dangerous as ever in Lyon's attacking line.

Those goals came from 4.77 xG — that 3.23 overperformance was higher than any other player in the competition. She was not only the highest goalscorer, but her finishes were a level above what would have been anticipated based on the quality of chances she had.

Ada Hegerberg is the all-time leading scorer in the competition with 64 goals. However, she underperformed her tournament-leading 7.33 xG by 2.33 last campaign, so there's scope for improvement for the 29-year-old.

Despite the xG underperformance, she still tallied up an impressive five goals to finish tied for fifth in the charts, along with Caroline Hansen, Tabitha Chawinga, Marie-Yasmine Alidou and Sam Kerr.

Lyon's Selma Bacha created the most chances in last season's competition (35), registering 4.12 expected assists (xA), though she only provided two assists in total.

Barcelona's Hansen (33) was second-highest for chances created, but led the way for xA (4.66) and assists (five), level with her team-mate Aitana Bonmati and just ahead of Bronze and Roma playmaker Manuela Giugliano (both four). 

Between the sticks, St. Polten's Carina Schluter was the busiest goalkeeper, making 43 saves, though Chelsea's Zecira Musovic boasted the best save percentage (81.82%) of any shot-stopper to play at least 90 minutes.

Jennifer Falk, of BK Hacken, was the best-performing goalkeeper when it came to goals prevented, however, conceding 10, which is 3.85 fewer than would have been anticipated based on the quality of shots she faced, according to Opta's expected goals on target (xGoT) model.

The groups

Four groups of four teams will battle it out to reach the knockout stages. There are some top ties to look forward to before we get to the last eight, and undoubtedly there will be some surprises along the way.

Group A boasts two former champions with 10 titles between them in Lyon and Wolfsburg. The two sides have met in finals of the tournament on four occasions, with Lyon victorious in three of those instances.

But Wolfsburg, who thrashed Fiorentina in qualifying, have lost some huge names over the summer. Germany midfielder Lena Oberdorf, Poland forward Ewa Pajor and Netherlands defender Dominique Janssen all exited ahead of the new campaign.

Pajor has made a fantastic start to life at Barcelona, scoring six goals already, and generating the highest xG of any player in the top five leagues so far in 2024-25 (6.56).

Roma will join the two giants from Germany and France. Their best finish in the tournament saw them progress to the last eight on their competition debut in 2022-23. 

The group's final side, Galatasaray, battled hard through the qualifying rounds and stamped their mark on the competition by knocking out three-time quarter-finalists Slavia to become the first Turkish team to reach the group stage.

Group B has served up a familiar matchup with Chelsea and Real Madrid being drawn together for a third consecutive year.

Dutch Champions Twente will bring an attacking brand of football to the tournament and should not be underestimated. They scored 20 goals to qualify for the group stages. Debutants Celtic, meanwhile, will also look to make their mark.

Group C could be considered the group of death, with former champions Arsenal, Bayern and surprise package Juventus, who caused the biggest upset of the qualifying rounds, going head-to-head.

The Bianconere became the first team to knock out Paris Saint-Germain before the quarter-finals since Tyreso in 2013-14, ending the dreams of English number one Mary Earps after her big move from Manchester United.

Group D will host the most exciting fixture of the group stages as holders Barca take on Man City in the opening game. The teams have met previously in a quarter-final in 2020-21, with Barca going on to win the tournament that year.

St. Polten have qualified for the fourth time in five seasons, and Hammarby have shown they are not scared of the bigger sides by knocking out one of last year's quarter-finalists Benfica in the qualifying rounds. 

The tournament promises to be exciting, with some intriguing storylines to follow from top to bottom.

Will Barcelona win a third straight crown, can Lyon extend their record number of titles, or is it time for an English champion for the first time since 2007? We can't wait to find out. 

Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor was in a reflective mood after their 7-0 victory at Crystal Palace ensured they continued their perfect start to the Women's Super League.

The former Champions League winner joined the club in May after leading Lyon to a third successive French title, and has won her first two matches in the English top-flight. 

Understandably, having never played or managed in England before taking the job at Chelsea, Bompastor spent a lot of time learning about the league before the move.

"I feel wiser," she told Sky Sports after the match.

"Coming to this league, I've spent a lot of time studying the teams, the managers and the way they play.

"I want a lot of information, the most possible. This league is so competitive and if you don't perform you drop points, so you have to prepare properly."

On the performance itself, the Chelsea manager was delighted to keep their 100% record going in such a dominant fashion, but insists there is still more to come from her side.

"It was a great win, three more points and a good performance, even if the first half was a difficult game," she told BBC Sport.

"It is a work in progress. We still have room for improvements for sure, in possession and out of possession.

"We are only at the beginning of the season, it's only the second game. At the high level, it is about getting results, [but] it still takes time to get the right chemistry.

"I think we are getting there, but there is still a lot of work to be done."

New signing Lucy Bronze scored Chelsea's second of the match shortly after half-time and, alongside Johanna Rytting Kaneryd - who scored in the opening match of the season - has impressed down the right-hand side.

The level of understanding they have developed in a short space of time is something that the manager hopes will start to flourish throughout the squad.

"For sure, coming from pre-season and in the last two games, they have a lot of chemistry," she said.

"It's always good for them to know each other and to get used to each other. They understand the way they want to play together and that is good for us.

"We have different options, but this one is a good one."

Sonia Bompastor maintained her perfect start to life as Chelsea head coach as her side turned on the style in the second half to beat Crystal Palace 7-0 on Friday. 

After Lauren James saw a goal ruled out, the Blues found their breakthrough in the 38th minute as Agnes Beever-Jones turned home Johanna Rytting Kaneryd's delivery. 

Lucy Bronze handed the visitors the perfect start to the second half, guiding a strike into the far corner for her first Chelsea goal since her move from Barcelona. 

The result was put beyond doubt just before the hour-mark as James finally got her name on the scoresheet, opening her account for the season from close range. 

But the Blues were not done there. Guro Reiten struck beyond Shae Yanez for Chelsea's fourth, with Catarina Macario's corner then finished by Nathalie Bjorn. 

Reiten notched her second in the 90th minute, with Macario adding gloss to an impressive showing from the defending champions as she capitalised on Yanez's parry to compound the newly-promoted Eagles to a second defeat of the season. 

Data Debrief: Ruthless Blues clip Eagles' wings

After a battling display against Aston Villa on the opening day, Bompastor's side showcased the attacking ruthlessness that was missing a week ago. 

James was a particular standout for the Blues, registering a team-high expected goals (xG) tally of 0.95 to Chelsea's 2.47 total from her four shots during the encounter. 

Chelsea ended the contest with 24 shots, 11 of which were on target, completing 56 touches inside the opposition's box compared to Palace's 12. 

But for all of their attacking brilliance, Chelsea have now kept a clean sheet in each of their last five games in the Women's Super League. Their last longer run of games without conceding a goal in the competition was a run of six matches between February and April in 2021.

Sonia Bompastor says she welcomes the comparisons to Emma Hayes as she looks to build her own legacy at Chelsea.

Hayes departed the club at the end of last season having clinched a fifth consecutive Women's Super League trophy, and seventh overall, as she bowed out following a trophy-laden 12-year spell.

Bompastor was appointed as her successor in May this year and began life in the WSL with a narrow 1-0 victory over Aston Villa last weekend.

It was the Blues' first home match without Hayes in the dugout since July 2012, and Bompastor says she is looking forward to building on her predecessor's success.

"It's normal for people to compare because she had such great success here," Bompastor told Sky Sports.

"I'm really thankful to Emma for the legacy she left me. She had an amazing period, and she had great results and the transition takes some time.

"I'm fine [with the comparisons] because Emma is a person and a coach who has a lot of good qualities, so I don't feel like people are comparing me to a bad person.

"If I can have the same success as she had at Chelsea, I will be the first person to be happy about that, even if I'm someone different. I'm not Emma Hayes, I have my own personality, I'm trying to bring my own ideas. Yes, some things maybe will be the same and some of those will be different.

"I try to find the good balance between building from the legacy Emma left and also trying to bring my own philosophy, own vision to the club."

Johanna Rytting Kaneryd scored the opening goal of Bompastor's tenure, but it was far from a convincing performance from the Blues, who managed the same number of shots as their opponents (13), but less on target (four to Villa's five).

The Frenchwoman also has a possession-based style, but her side finished the contest with narrowly less than Villa in that match (47.4%).

Bompastor acknowledged the challenges of the team trying to adapt to her style but is confident last season's top scorers will soon settle into their new rhythm.

"I'm very happy with the way the players are adapting to all these new things," she added.

"It takes a lot of time, but when you are a coach at a high level, you don't have time. It's about getting the results since the beginning until the end.

"But the players are adjusting very well, they are really open-minded and happy to learn. We are still in the beginning of the season, and it's normal that we are not quite in the place we want to be yet, but not far. We still have work to be done."

Chelsea will play WSL newcomers Crystal Palace in their first away match of the campaign on Friday.

The latest instalment of the Women's Super League returns this weekend, with the opening round of fixtures offering plenty of insight as to what this season may hold. 

Sonia Bompastor started her quest for Chelsea's sixth straight title with a triumph against Aston Villa, with the Blues again kickstarting the action on matchday two.

The defending champions make the short journey to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace, while Sunday's action features both Manchester City and Arsenal after their enthralling encounter at the Emirates. 

Elsewhere, Manchester United will be hoping to build on their emphatic first week showing against Everton, with Liverpool and West Ham squaring off in their attempts to get their respective campaigns up and running. 

But who does the Opta supercomputer predict will emerge victorious this time around? 

CRYSTAL PALACE V CHELSEA

Bompastor started her tenure as Chelsea head coach with a win, but the Blues were made to work for their triumph at Kingsmeadow in last week's curtain-raiser. 

However, Chelsea remain overwhelming favourites to stay perfect against newly-promoted Crystal Palace, winning 88.4% of the supercomputer's pre-match simulations, compared to 7.3% for their opponents.

Chelsea have also won each of their last eight games without conceding when facing an opponent for the first time in the WSL, last losing 4-0 away to Sunderland in July 2015.

But despite their dominance under Emma Hayes, the Blues have failed to win their opening away game in each of the last six WSL seasons (D4 L2), since beating the Black Cats 6-0 in the 2017-18 campaign.

MANCHESTER CITY V BRIGHTON

On Sunday, Brighton are the opponents as Gareth Taylor's City aim to get their first win on the board following last week's 2-2 draw at Arsenal.

Despite the visitors starting their own campaign with a 4-0 triumph against Everton, the Seagulls are handed just a 4.5% chance of a victory in our pre-match simulations, with the Citizens given a huge 87.3% win probability. 

However, City hold a favourable record over their opponents, winning nine of their 11 WSL meetings with Brighton, but they did lose this exact fixture last season 1-0 (D1). 

Vivianne Miedema found the net on her Citizens debut last week, and she has had a hand in 15 goals in 10 games against Brighton (seven goals and eight assists) with only Miedema herself against Bristol City (14 goals and five assists) having more goals and assists combined against a single club in WSL history.

EVERTON V MANCHESTER UNITED 

After putting West Ham to the sword in their opening game of the new season, United arrive at Walton Hall Park with confidence ahead of facing Everton. 

The Red Devils have been given a 58.7% chance of emerging victorious, while the Toffees are predicted at 20.2% to win, with the likelihood of a draw coming in at 21.1%.

United have won their opening away game in each of their last four WSL seasons, including all three under Marc Skinner, while also prevailing in four of their five away league games against Everton, including a 5-0 win in this fixture last season, their biggest ever success on the road in the competition.

Everton have never beaten United in 10 previous WSL meetings (D2 L8), with Man City the only other team the Toffees have failed to beat in the competition (P16 L16).

LEICESTER V ARSENAL

After a thrilling encounter with Man City last time out, Jonas Eidevall's Arsenal travel to the King Power Stadium to face Leicester, looking to get their title charge up and running.

The visitors are assigned a 74.7% chance of a win, with the Foxes victorious in 11% of our pre-match simulations and 14.3% finishing all square.

One player for Leicester to watch out for will be Alessia Russo. She has scored in each of her last four WSL appearances against the Foxes, including a hat-trick for Man United last year – the striker has scored more top-flight goals against the Foxes (six) than any other opponent.  

The Foxes have lost all six of their WSL games against Arsenal by an aggregate scoreline of 23-2, conceding four or more goals in four of those games.

WEST HAM V LIVERPOOL 

Following on from the men's EFL Cup clash in midweek, West Ham's women welcome Liverpool to the Chigwell Construction Stadium, with both in search of three points.

But it is the Reds who are favoured in the pre-match simulations, winning 46.2% of those, while the Hammers are given a 29.2% chance of a win, with a draw given a 24.6% chance of happening. 

West Ham have won just one of their last 17 home matches in the WSL (D7 L9), having won six of their previous 17 such games in the competition (D4 L7).

But Liverpool have not enjoyed recent trips to the capital, winning just one of their last 12 away WSL games in London (D3 L8), beating Arsenal 1-0 at the Emirates last year.

ASTON VILLA V TOTTENHAM

The weekend's action concludes at Villa Park, with Aston Villa's gutsy showing against defending champions Chelsea making them favourites against Tottenham. 

Robert de Pauw's side were victorious in 43.8% of our pre-match simulations. Spurs are given a 29.4% chance of victory, and 26.8% chance of earning a point. 

Spurs, however, are unbeaten in their last three away games in the WSL (W2 D1) with their final two matches on the road last season ending 2-2 (vs. Man United and Everton) - no team has ever avoided defeat in three consecutive away games in the competition when also conceding multiple goals.

Villa have lost just one of their last five WSL meetings against this weekend's opponents (W3 D1), but that sole loss did come in this fixture last season, losing 4-2 at the Bescot Stadium.

Sonia Bompastor made a winning start to her reign as Chelsea head coach on Friday against Aston Villa, but highlighted areas of improvement her side need to make.

Johanna Rytting Kaneryd's 36th minute strike proved to be the difference at Kingsmeadow, though the Blues were made to work for their triumph. 

The hosts ended the game with four shots on target from their 13 attempts compared to Aston Villa's five from their 13 shots, while the Villans also hit the woodwork twice.

Robert de Pauw's side also registered an expected goals (xG) total of 0.97 to Chelsea's 0.87 and ended the game with more possession (52.5%). 

Bompastor acknowledged her side's difficulty in front of goal, but was pleased overall with her players' efforts in their opening game of the WSL season. 

"In a high level game, when you are not able to get the second goal, you just give more confidence to the opposition," Bompastor said. 

"Today, maybe we should've scored more goals, been more efficient and that would've changed the game for sure.

"We had some great moments in the game. We still have to work on some others, but I'm just happy with the three points. It's always good to start with a win."

Bompastor replaced Emma Hayes as Chelsea's head coach in May and is aiming to keep the Blues' reign as WSL champions going for a sixth successive season. 

While only in the infancy of her tenure, Bompastor believes there will be plenty more to come from her side, with the win highlighting the areas in which Chelsea had to adapt and where they can improve.

"We started well," Bompastor said. "I sometimes think about what we've been working on, we didn't recognise during the game where we should have played. 

"But you have to take into account the scenario of the game, especially the second half because Aston Villa were trying to score and put a lot of pressure on us.

"When the opposition is putting you under pressure, you have to be able to find maybe a more direct style of play beyond their backline.

"That's the way it works sometimes, because if you keep playing short when the opposition is pressing you, it is sometimes difficult.

"Being smart and trying to find a different style is also important when you want to win the game."

Johanna Rytting Kaneryd's first-half goal was enough to secure Chelsea a 1-0 win over Aston Villa, getting Sonia Bompastor off to a winning start in the Women's Super League.

In a tightly contested tie that could have gone either way, the reigning champions showed their quality to earn the first three points of the WSL season.

Missy Bo Kearns almost got the first goal of Robert de Pauw's reign at Villa 13 minutes in, but was narrowly wide of netting on her debut, while Guro Reiten narrowly missed two glorious chances for the hosts.

Rytting Kaneryd scored the winner in the 36th minute – it looked like she had overrun the ball, but she expertly cut back inside to whip a lovely shot past Sabrina D'Angelo into the back of the net.

Villa made a lightning-quick start to the second half, with Kenza Dali's early cross being met by Rachel Daly, but her looping header only rattled Hannah Hampton's crossbar.

The visitors then had two brilliant opportunities to level the score in stoppage time, but Hampton superbly defended her clean sheet, first denying Daly before tipping D'Angelo's header onto the crossbar.

Data Debrief: Off to a flyer

Chelsea's game against Aston Villa is the first time they have played a game in the WSL without Emma Hayes in the dugout since July 2012 (a 4-2 loss under Matt Beard).

Bompastor ensured the reigning champions got off to a winning start though, maintaining their 100% record against Villa by stretching their run to nine wins in a row.

In the opposite dugout, though De Pauw is still waiting for his first win and goal in charge of the Villans, he did get a small slice of history, becoming the first Dutch manager to manage a game in the WSL.

Johanna Rytting Kaneryd's first-half goal was enough to secure Chelsea a 1-0 win over Aston Villa, getting Sonia Bompastor off to a winning start in the Women's Super League.

In a tightly contested tie that could have gone either way, the reigning champions showed their quality to earn the first three points of the WSL season.

Missy Bo Kearns almost got the first goal of Robert de Pauw's reign at Villa 13 minutes in, but was narrowly wide of netting on her debut, while Guro Reiten narrowly missed two glorious chances for the hosts.

Kaneryd scored the winner in the 36th minute – it looked like she had overrun the ball, but she expertly cut back inside to whip a lovely shot past Sabrina D'Angelo into the back of the net.

Villa made a lightning-quick start to the second half, with Kenza Dali's early cross being met by Rachel Daly, but her looping header only rattled Hannah Hampton's crossbar.

The visitors then had two brilliant opportunities to level the score in stoppage time, but Hampton superbly defended her clean sheet, first denying Daly before tipping D'Angelo's header onto the crossbar.

Data Debrief: Off to a flyer

Chelsea's game against Aston Villa is the first time they have played a game in the WSL without Emma Hayes in the dugout since July 2012 (a 4-2 loss under Matt Beard).

Bompastor ensured the reigning champions got off to a winning start though, maintaining their 100% record against Villa by stretching their run to nine wins in a row.

In the opposite dugout, though De Pauw is still waiting for his first win and goal in charge of the Villans, he did get a small slice of history, becoming the first Dutch manager to manage a game in the WSL.

Natasha Dowie believes Chelsea's appointment of Sonia Bompastor highlights the new-found global appeal of the Women's Super League.

Bompastor enjoyed three successful years at Lyon, including winning a Champions League, before deciding to move on and replace Emma Hayes this summer.

Hayes led the Blues to seven WSL titles overall, winning each of the last five in a row, and Bompastor now has the challenge of becoming the first manager in WSL history to win the league on their first attempt.

Dowie, who is now a Liverpool ambassador after winning the league twice with the Reds, thinks it shows just how much the WSL has grown in recent times.

She told Stats Perform: "I think it's not just the best players in the world that want to come and play in England now, it's the best managers in the world. And that wasn't the case back in the day, and I think that's just brilliant."

Furthermore, Dowie also notes that her appointment could also prove crucial in terms of Chelsea finally claiming their elusive Champions League title, following several near misses and a defeat in the 2021 final.

"She's won everything at Lyon," Dowie added. "So now to move to a club like Chelsea, who have pretty much won the league the last five years, I think now the challenge for her and what she probably is excited about is how can we help Chelsea win the Champions League? That's all they haven't won."

The former striker is also excited at the prospect of Sam Kerr returning from injury, believing that she can once again play a key role for the Blues.

The Australian suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear during Chelsea's winter training camp in January, ruling her out for the second half of the season. 

Before her injury, Kerr was averaging 0.61 goals per 90 minutes, from 3.66 shots per 90, with a 16.67% conversion rate.

"[Kerr] is the number one striker, and she does it in the big pressure games, she always produces, and I think they missed her last year even though they won the league," Dowie said.

"I think that to have a Sam Kerr in your team - it's a nightmare for any team and I think all fans, the way that she's entertaining as well, the backflip, the kind of charisma that she has, she brings a lot to the game.

"So yeah, I think we're all excited to see her back performing."

Dowie predicts Manchester United to have an improved WSL campaign this year, following their FA Cup final success last season.

The Red Devils finished just two points behind Chelsea in 2022-23 but struggled to replicate that last year, and have since lost key players, including Mary Earps.

"I do think United will push on again this year," said Dowie.

"I think that to be fighting for the title with Chelsea the year before and then to obviously finish fifth last year was really disappointing.

"I think there'll be a team this year that will be up there again competing for trophies, so you could say that United could be a surprise package."

The Women's Super League returns with a bang this weekend, with upheaval at the top of the table offering the promise of another thrilling campaign.

Chelsea gave Emma Hayes a triumphant send-off by edging out Manchester City on goal difference for their fifth straight title, but will former Lyon coach Sonia Bompastor be able to replicate her success?

Aston Villa are the opponents for her first game at the helm on Friday, while Sunday's action features a huge clash between potential title challengers Arsenal and City.

Elsewhere, Manchester United start their bid to improve on last season's disappointing fifth-placed finish against West Ham, while newly promoted Crystal Palace face a tough trip to Tottenham.

But who does the Opta supercomputer expect to start 2024-25 with three points?

CHELSEA V ASTON VILLA

Unsurprisingly, given their recent dominance of the division, Chelsea are overwhelming favourites to beat Villa – who finished seventh in 2023-24 – in Friday's curtain-raiser. 

They won 85.1% of the supercomputer's pre-match simulations, with Villa given just a 5.5% chance of victory and the draw deemed a 9.5% likelihood. 

Kingsmeadow was a real fortress under Hayes, and Bompastor will be desperate to retain the fear factor in her debut season. Chelsea have won 35 of their last 37 home league games, drawing one and losing one.

The Blues have, however, only won two of their six opening matches of a WSL campaign as the reigning champions, drawing two and losing two. One of those victories did come last term, though, as they beat Tottenham 2-1 at Stamford Bridge.

MANCHESTER UNITED V WEST HAM

Old Trafford plays host to the first of two games on Saturday, as Marc Skinner's United take on West Ham, looking to kick on after ending a largely disappointing 2023-24 campaign with FA Cup glory.

They are assigned a 71.5% chance of a win, with West Ham victorious in 12.6% of our pre-match simulations and 15.9% finishing all square.

This will, of course, be United's first league game since Mary Earps departed for Paris Saint-Germain. The Red Devils suffered their heaviest-ever WSL defeat in her final game, going down 6-0 to Chelsea on home soil on the final day of last season. 

Phallon Tullis-Joyce will hope for a quiet outing after stepping up to replace Earps as number one, and she may get her wish against a West Ham side that accumulated a miserable 15 points last term. Their seven away losses in 2023-24 was a joint-high among all WSL teams (also Bristol City).

BRIGHTON V EVERTON

Just one place and four points separated Everton from Brighton in the final standings, and the supercomputer struggles to separate them ahead of their clash at Broadfield.

The Toffees are slight favourites with a 40.6% win probability, compared to Brighton's 33.7%, while 25.7% of the supercomputer's pre-match simulations finished level.

Everton will hope to continue their momentum from the end of 2023-24, having ended the season on a four-game unbeaten streak (two wins, two draws), their longest of the campaign. They could go five without losing for the first time since October 2020.

Brighton's major arrival ahead of the new season is Chelsea great Fran Kirby, who has five goal involvements in eight WSL appearances against Everton, scoring on both of her starts versus them.

ARSENAL V MANCHESTER CITY

The headline fixture of the opening matchday takes place at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, as two of the sides most likely to challenge Chelsea for their crown – Arsenal and City – go head-to-head.

The supercomputer makes the Gunners favourites on home soil, with Jonas Eidevall's team winning 42.6% of our pre-match simulations. City are assigned a 30.7% chance of victory, and a 26.7% chance of earning a point.

Vivianne Miedema's move from Arsenal to City has added further intrigue to this fixture. She netted 80 times in 106 league appearances for Arsenal to become the WSL's all-time leading scorer, netting against all 15 opponents she has faced in the competition. Arsenal will be the 16th different team she has faced – will she return to haunt them?

City have won each of their last eight away league games, with the only longer such run in WSL history also being by City – a 12-match sequence between July 2016 and January 2018.

Arsenal, though, have won each of their last three WSL meetings with City, and they boast the most prolific player in the history of the opening matchday in the competition, with Beth Mead previously hitting seven goals on the first weekend, including two braces.

TOTTENHAM V CRYSTAL PALACE

Crystal Palace edged out Charlton Athletic to win the Women's Championship title last season, reaching the WSL for the first time. They will be the 19th different team to compete in the division and the first debutants since Leicester City in 2021.

Excluding the inaugural 2011 campaign, only one of 10 teams has ever won their first WSL match, Sunderland beating Liverpool 2-1 in 2015 (one draw, eight defeats).

The Eagles are not given much hope of replicating that feat by the Supercomputer, which assigns them just an 11.5% chance of victory to Tottenham's 72.7%. The draw is given a 15.8% likelihood.

Tottenham have a decent record on the opening day, too, only starting one of their last four WSL campaigns with a defeat (two wins, one draw), which came against champions Chelsea last season. 

LIVERPOOL V LEICESTER CITY

Matt Beard is the only coach among the 12 WSL teams to have previously won the title, and his Liverpool side ended a promising 2023-24 campaign in fourth. They will be confident of getting underway with a win this term, with the supercomputer giving them a 60.2% chance of beating Leicester.

The Foxes, who would have been in relegation trouble if not for Bristol City's struggles last term, are given an 18.9% chance of victory, and a 20.9% likelihood of earning a draw.

Liverpool and Leicester also met on the final day of last term, the Reds winning 4-0. Seven teams have previously met on the final matchday of one WSL campaign and the opening weekend of the next, but only three have won both such meetings (Man City v Notts County, Tottenham v Birmingham, and Tottenham v Leicester).

Only Arsenal (nine) and Chelsea (seven) have won their opening game of a WSL season more often than Liverpool (six), who have started four campaigns with a victory under Beard (one defeat).

Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor is excited to begin her maiden Women's Super League campaign when the Blues face Aston Villa on Friday evening.

Bompastor joined the club in the summer after three successful years at Lyon, which includes three straight Division 1 Feminine titles and a Champions League win in 2022.

She will be following the hugely popular Emma Hayes, who enjoyed plenty of success of her own at Chelsea before moving on to coach the United States' women's team, but Bompastor insists the attention should not just be on her as her side aim to retain their title.

She said: "I just feel like it's not only about me. I think it's about Chelsea. It's also about the players, you know, and we feel ready.

"We are the holders of the title, and we want to start the league strongly tomorrow night."

Chelsea and Hayes were victorious in each of the last five editions of the WSL and her successor believes she possesses enough quality in her squad to challenge on all fronts this season.

"When you're Chelsea, you just want to win every single title," said Bompastor.

"You want to compete in every competition, and we know all the teams will be ready. It will be tough, but we feel ready, and you know, the players are really competitive."

Bompastor is wary of the threat of Villa, who have enjoyed a productive pre-season under new manager Robert de Pauw.

She said: "If you look at Aston Villa's results, they had a good pre-season with good results. In their last game they beat Manchester City, who last night beat Paris FC 5-0."

"We have a lot of respect for Villa, they have a good quality squad, and they had good results, so we know the first game will be important.

"We just want to focus on ourselves and be able to start the league as strongly as we can."

The Women's Super League is set for a shake-up this season after serving up one of the tightest title races in recent history.

Chelsea pipped Manchester City to the crown on goal difference last season, sending Emma Hayes off with a fifth consecutive WSL triumph, and her seventh overall.

But Sonia Bompastor is in the hot seat now, and her Chelsea team will kick off the new season on September 20 against Aston Villa, who are also under new management.

The first heavyweight clash of the season is just two days later, with City and Arsenal facing off at the start of their title challenges, with both keen to dethrone Chelsea.

The season promises twists and turns, but will it throw up any surprises? Or will it be business as usual?             

Will Chelsea's reign finally come to an end?

Hayes may not be in West London any more, having swapped Chelsea for the United States, but her dominant legacy remains as Bompastor, a seasoned winner herself, takes the reins.

Having won three Division 1 Feminine league titles as Lyon manager, the Opta supercomputer is backing her to lead Chelsea (59.8%) to an incredible sixth WSL trophy in a row. No manager has ever won the WSL in their first season, and to do so would certainly begin her own legacy.

The team scored 71 goals in the WSL last term, setting a new record for a 22-game season, outperforming an expected goals figure of 59.87, which was still the highest accumulated tally of any team in the league, bettering Arsenal's 55.48 xG.

The likes of Lauren James and Aggie Beever-Jones are likely to prove pivotal at the top end of the pitch once again, but they have game-changers all over the pitch.

Niamh Charles has proven instrumental from left-back, making the second-most passes (1,220, of which 982 were successful) of all Chelsea players behind Jess Carter, who is no longer at the club. She also contested 210 duels, with only Erin Cuthbert (220) taking on more, but no player won more than her 130.

But having come so close to seeing their title streak end last season, they face another tough test to defend their crown, as both Arsenal and Man City will be keen to take advantage of Hayes' departure.

City finished as runners-up for the sixth time and are predicted to endure the same fate again come May, with a 23.5% chance of clinching the title as we start the season.

City's defensive sturdiness proved to be a valuable asset last term and was one of the reasons they ran Chelsea so close. They conceded the fewest goals in the league (15), outperforming their expected goals against figure (19.89 xGA).

That is partly due to the form of Khiara Keating, who scooped the Golden Glove in her breakout season after keeping nine clean sheets. She had the best save percentage (79.45%) of any goalkeeper in the league to play more than 10 games.

All the WSL teams have bolstered their ranks in the off-season, but none of the deals have stood out quite like City's early swoop to bring in Vivianne Miedema, who left Arsenal as a free agent.

Taylor has already acknowledged that the Dutchwoman could be the key to ending their long wait for a league title, and who could blame him?

Miedema has scored 80 WSL goals in 106 games, outperforming her 59.63 xG. She has also had the most shots on record since Opta began collecting such data for the competition, with 452, and 198 of those have hit the target. 

And she will be sharing the spotlight with Khadija Shaw, who stole the show last time around, clinching her first Golden Boot since joining the club by netting 21 goals.

The Jamaican bettered her xG total by nearly 10 goals (12.31) and scored 11 of the 25 big chances that fell her way in the competition.

She now has 50 WSL goals in just 57 games for City, and with her tally improving year-on-year, she will surely be a key player for the Citizens once again.

Meanwhile, Arsenal may have slipped out of the title race on the home stretch last year after dropping valuable away points in a 3-1 defeat to Chelsea and a 1-1 draw with Everton, but Jonas Eidevall's side should not be counted out, despite being assigned just a 14.9% chance of getting their hands on the trophy.

Arsenal, who will be playing at the Emirates Stadium this season, are already a formidable home team, having lost only one such game last campaign (1-0 to Liverpool on the opening day), but a capacity crowd could be the extra boost they need.

A lot of the onus for goals will likely fall on Alessia Russo's shoulders after she finished as their top scorer in the WSL last season (12), but Stina Blackstenius' tally in all competitions had her beat.

The Swede's goals have proved invaluable to Arsenal over the years, and last year alone, she earned them a 1-0 win over Chelsea in the Conti Cup final, before her double over Man City effectively ended their rivals' title hopes.

Blackstenius has the best shots-per-90 ratio in the top-flight (5.5), managing 41 efforts in her 666 minutes on the field, and netting seven goals from those.

Manchester United, the runners-up in 2022-23, may have endured an underwhelming campaign last time around, but they are still being given a slim 1.8% chance of causing an upset to claim their first WSL title.

Marc Skinner led them to their first piece of major silverware in the FA Cup, but with some big-name departures, they will need to gel quickly to stand a chance of mounting a real challenge.

And while the Opta supercomputer does not believe they can do it, everybody loves a dark horse, and Liverpool could find themselves in the mix coming off a fourth-placed finish.

Matt Beard is the only current manager in the league to have won a WSL title, so that experience could prove vital, especially if the Reds get off to a strong start.

Managerial merry-go-round keeps spinning

Unsurprisingly, all the talk before the season is about Bompastor and the big shoes she has to fill.

Bompastor won exactly 100 of her 118 games in charge of Lyon, registering an 84.75% win ratio and losing only eight times. Her Lyon team scored 381 goals, averaging 3.81 per match while conceding only 71 in return (0.71 per game).

Chelsea have brought in a manager they hope can win them the one thing Hayes never could: the Champions League, which Bompastor won with Lyon. The elusive trophy will be high on their priority list, but Blues fans will be hoping it is not at the expense of another league title.

Bompastor will not be the only manager making her WSL bow on September 20, as she will face off against Robert de Pauw, Carla Ward's replacement at Villa.

De Pauw, joining after two years at Bayer Leverkusen, has been clever in his recruitment, replacing Alisha Lehmann and Simone Magill with exciting up-and-coming talents that could see them push for a place towards the top once again.

But perhaps De Pauw's biggest challenge will be to get Rachel Daly back to her high-scoring best after she managed just eight goals in the WSL last time around.

Daly was 2022-23's surprise package, enjoying a superb campaign by netting 22 goals to clinch the Golden Boot, holding off the likes of Shaw to get her hands on the award.

There have been changes at the other end of the table, too.

Brighton have welcomed Dario Vidosic from Melbourne City as they look to stave off relegation, and the manager may have quite the task on his hands.

However, his 54.55% win rate in the A-League from 25 matches (12 wins) is a promising sign, with the team averaging 1.86 points per game under the 37-year-old.

Meanwhile, Leicester City, who finished 10th last season, have brought in Amandine Miquel from Reims after seven years at the club, which included a promotion to the French top-flight.

The Foxes are tipped to be fighting for survival, and Miquel has warned fans they will need to trust the process while she tries to impress a "strong tactical identity" onto the squad, with her first aim surely to improve on the four wins they accumulated last campaign.

Who's In and Who's Out

Miedema's departure looked like it might spell trouble for Arsenal, but the Gunners have been savvy with their transfer dealings.

Young winger Rosa Kafaji is an exciting up-and-coming talent, but they also added a Champions League winner of their own, getting Mariona Caldentey on a free transfer from Barcelona.

Caldentey scored 10 goals in the league last season, also laying on nine assists, the third-highest tally in the competition, while her 57 chances created were only bettered by Caroline Hansen (85).

With Daphne van Domselaar also joining from Aston Villa to strengthen their goalkeeping position, Arsenal have given themselves a strong foundation to build success this campaign despite the loss of Miedema.

Chelsea have also been busy, strengthening their defence by bringing in serial winner Lucy Bronze.

The right-back has won every domestic trophy available in France, Spain and England, having left Barcelona after scooping an impressive quadruple, which included her fifth Champions League title.

Bronze created 28 chances for Barca last season from full-back – the second-most of any defender for the European champions, after Ona Batlle.

Man United, on the other hand, have drawn attention for the wrong reasons.

They started the off-season by announcing that club captain Katie Zelem, who created the most chances of any player in the WSL last season (58), Lucia Garcia and Mary Earps were all leaving after their contracts expired.

Grace Clinton is back, however, after her breakout season at Tottenham and will hope to link up with fellow lioness Ella Toone.

To add to United fans' transfer misery, experienced forward Nikita Parris also left the club in deadline day's biggest story, choosing to switch to a Brighton team and a likely relegation battle.

She will be playing alongside Fran Kirby, with Chelsea's all-time leading goalscorer leaving as a free agent at the end of last season.

Last campaign, she played just 897 minutes across 21 appearances in the league, but still managed to create 31 chances (the 11th-best tally in the league), with 10 of those considered 'big' chances.

Kirby won seven WSL titles under Hayes at Chelsea, and though she may not be pushing for silverware this time around, her experience could prove invaluable, along with Parris', as Vidosic looks to find his footing in a new league.

New kids on the block

Crystal Palace are just days away from embarking on their first-ever WSL season, with Laura Kaminski leading them to promotion from the Women's Championship in her first year in charge.

They finished top of the pile with 46 points, a 12-point improvement on their previous season, while they only suffered four defeats compared to 10 in 2022-23.

Kaminski immediately made Palace harder to beat, and they conceded just 20 goals in the league last season. But there was also huge progress at the other end of the pitch, with Palace scoring a league-high 55 goals, 16 more than Southampton in second.

The Eagles have seen a high turnover in the transfer window, bringing in eight new players and saying goodbye to eight, and they will not be eased into WSL action, with FA Cup runners-up Tottenham first up for them.

They are not the favourites to go down, though they are given a 20.2% chance of dropping straight back into the second tier – with four teams seen to be firmly in the relegation scrap.

The Opta supercomputer may show slight favour to the newcomers, but Brighton are not so lucky, with a 26.4% chance of finishing bottom of the table.

The unpredictability of their new coach coupled with a lot of changes to their squad is likely the reason for that unfavourable forecast, but as touched on before, the acquisitions of Kirby and Parris could turn the tide.

However, there are issues that need to be addressed quickly. Brighton lost the joint-second most games in the WSL last year (13), with only relegated Bristol City suffering more defeats.

The Seagulls netted just 26 times last season, the third-lowest tally, from a total of 208 shots (including blocks), and though they bettered their xG tally of 21.91, improving their creativity will surely be high on Vidosic's priority list.

In any other season, West Ham could have been in real danger of going down, but Bristol's struggles meant their 15 points were enough to secure another year in the top-flight in 2023-24.

Like Brighton, they lost 13 of their matches but only managed to get three wins on the board in Rehanne Skinner's first campaign at the helm.

One reason for their struggles was a lack of firepower, as they only scored 20 goals, level with the Robins, netting around three fewer goals than expected (22.92 xG).

They are being given a 19.2% chance of going down, and though Skinner will be hoping they can improve on her first year, having lost Mackenzie Arnold and Hawa Cissoko, it is likely they will be in the relegation fight once more.

Leicester are also tipped as candidates to drop, with a 21.9% chance, not helped by their stumbling finish to the WSL last season, in which they failed to win any of their last eight matches.

That run was compounded by a 4-0 defeat to Liverpool on the final day, and with the Reds first up for them this time around, they will be desperate to put in a better showing in Miquel's first outing.

World Cup winner Ariane Hingst believes the Ballon d'Or Feminin must reconsider who merits the global award in order to do "justice to the great football players".

Former Germany international Hingst, speaking at the Thinking Football Summit organised by Liga Portugal, could not fathom the reasoning behind including the likes of injury-hit Alexia Putellas as a nominee.

The 30-player list was announced at the start of September, with the winner revealed later in October, as Aitana Bonmati heads to the award ceremony in Paris as the favourite.

Spain's Nations League success saw five of their players nominated, including Bonmati, while the United States women's national team also had as many nominees after their Olympic success in the French capital.

Hingst, winner of FIFA's top international competition in 2003 and 2007, believes the Ballon d'Or needs to look further than "superstars", however.

"It's always interesting to see the nominees of these Ballon d'Ors," Hingst said to Stats Perform. "I think the problem is that you only have the big picture when you have a big tournament going on. 

"We had the Olympics, but you see all kinds of sports, so you can't just follow the football, so it's hard to follow.

"What frustrates me the most is, and don't get me wrong, the likes of Alexia Putellas, [she is] a great, great player, but she's been injured for such a long time and is on the list to be the best of this season.

"This can't be right and I don't think that it does justice to the great football players we have out there if Putellas is on this list as well.

"We need to get away from the superstars and just recognise the season that has been played."

Though wanting to stray away from the "superstar" tag for Ballon d'Or selection, Hingst reserved special praise for Chelsea and Australia forward Sam Kerr.

"The interesting part is, that I always had a problem with just this one big superstar because soccer is a team sport and it took me some time to realise that you need those superstars," Hingst added.

"Definitely, Sam Kerr is one of them. It took some time for us in Germany to recognise her as much. She became really big when she was in America, an absolute superstar.

"Now then going to England and it's just tremendous. You need those figures because they are idols. Girls are talking about, 'I want to be Sam Kerr', the boys are talking about her, so you need those big names.

"For example, now you have Alex Morgan just retiring from the women's game. She was one of those superstars as well. [Megan] Rapinoe from America also retired. So who's the next?"