Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor has said that they will be without four key players ahead of their Champions League game away to Celtic on Wednesday.

Bompastor confirmed that Millie Bright, Mayra Ramirez, Sjoeke Nusken and Kadeisha Buchanan have not travelled to Scotland for their encounter at Celtic Park.

The Blues know a victory will seal their progression to the knockout stages, though have decided to rest a few of their key players during a hectic fixture schedule. 

Their trip to Scotland will be the second of three matches inside seven days in all competitions for Bompastor's side and, as a result, she has decided to rotate her squad.

"The squad is in a good place and we have a good dynamic and we are full of confidence," she told a press conference

"We have been playing a lot of games and this week we play three games so it’s important to manage players as individuals.

“We have some players who didn’t travel for this game. Kadeisha Buchanan, Millie Bright, Sjoeke Nusken and Mayra Ramirez didn’t travel."

Chelsea come into the game with a 100% record in all competitions under Bompastor, including two wins from two against Real Madrid and Twente in the Champions League.

And they will be confident of maintaining their perfect run, having lost just one of their previous 20 group stage matches in the competition (W14 D5) and are unbeaten across their last 14 (W11 D3). 

“As you know, Chelsea have a good squad with quality and a good team will start the game and be competitive because we want to finish first in this group," she said.

Their early-season form has them second in the Women's Super League and top of their Champions League group, at least three points ahead of any other team.

Despite resting players, Bompastor reassured people that it was Chelsea's ambition to fight on all fronts.

“The Champions League is important and we have ambition and we want to make sure we finish first in the group," she said.

“We have ambitions and if we want to go for all the competitions then you need to beat every team.

“It will start again in March and that’s when the really important games start, but right now we are focused on the group stage.”

Chelsea maintained their perfect start to the Women's Super League season by thrashing Everton 5-0 at Goodison Park on Sunday.

They took the lead in the 14th minute when Kadeisha Buchanan's teasing delivery was headed beyond Courtney Brosnan by Agnes Beever-Jones.

The visitors then struck twice shortly before the break, first through Erin Cuthbert, who dispossessed Veatriki Sarri before sending a left-footed effort into the bottom corner. 

Guro Reiten then got herself on the scoresheet, squeezing the ball in at Brosnan's front post after being picked out by Sjoeke Nusken's searching ball into the box. 

Chelsea continued to dominate after the interval, but had to wait until the 82nd minute to notch their fourth through Wieke Kaptein's fine effort into the roof of the net. 

Just over a minute later, Ashley Lawrence rounded off a fine team move to tap home Oriane Jean-Francois' cross to seal yet another win for Sonia Bompastor's Blues. 

Data Debrief: Brilliant Blues march on

The triumph saw manager Bompastor become the third manager to win their first five games in the WSL, after David Parker and Jonas Eidevall. 

And it was arguably the most dominant win her tenure. The Blues racked up 26 shots compared to Everton's six, ending the contest with an expected goals (xG) total of 3.16 compared to their opponents' measly 0.37.

Chelsea have now equalled their longest winning run in the WSL against a single team, with the victory over the Toffees their 10th in a row, going level with their current win streaks against Tottenham and West Ham. 

Sonia Bompastor was pleased by Chelsea's efficiency in their Women's Champions League win over Twente but has been dealt a possible injury blow to Lauren James.

The Blues won 3-1 on Thursday, with Aggie Beever-Jones, Maika Hamano and Guro Reiten before Nikee van Dijk's consolation.

But they were forced to play without Lauren James, who pulled out of the game after sustaining a foot injury in the warm-up.

Johanna Rytting Kaneryd replaced her for the match and was one of Chelsea's more influential attacking players, getting the assist for the opening goal.

However, with Tottenham next up in the Women's Super League, Bompastor is not sure if James will be available, while the winger is also set to link up with England next week.

"In the last moment of the warm-up she felt something in her foot," Bompastor said.

"At the moment it's too early for me to say something else about LJ. We will have to assess her [on Friday] in London and see how she feels."

Bompastor made seven changes from their win over Arsenal for their trip to the Netherlands, with Beever-Jones and Hamano among those brought in.

Beever-Jones had four shots, creating 0.51 expected goals (xG), while also having seven touches in the box and creating one chance.

Chelsea dominated overall, also having 31 touches in the opposition box to Twente's 31, and entered the final third 74 times.

And the manager was delighted with the front-footed approach her side took as they maintained their 100% start under her.

"I'm really happy with the first half," said Bompastor.

"We started the game strongly. We were efficient, being able to score really quickly. We saw some good movement from the players. For me, we just got the three points, which is really important. We are top now, which is the main goal.

"Also, we had the opportunity to rotate and manage some players. Some players could rest in preparation for the game on Sunday.

"It just shows how much quality there is in the group, and also how much I trust everyone in the group. Some of them were able to start and play 90 minutes in the Champions League.

"It's good to have the quality in the group to make sure we can rotate and play every single game with a lot of competition." 

Sonia Bompastor's perfect start to life at Chelsea continued on Thursday as the Blues beat Twente 3-1 to go three points clear at the top of their Women's Champions League group.

Having overcome Real Madrid in their Group B opener last week, Chelsea cruised to victory in the Netherlands to strengthen their grip on top spot.

Aggie Beever-Jones saw her 25-yard strike deflect in for a seventh-minute opener, and Chelsea were 2-0 up within 18 minutes as Maika Hamano lobbed goalkeeper Olivia Clarke.

Guro Reiten scored Chelsea's third from the penalty spot when Lieske Carleer fouled Mayra Ramirez just after the hour mark, with Nikee van Dijk netting a consolation for Twente five minutes later.

In the other match in Group B, Madrid got up and running with a resounding 4-0 victory over Celtic, with Scotland's Caroline Weir among the goals for Los Blancos.

Weir curled in a terrific opener from distance after just seven minutes, though Celtic then held firm and stayed in the contest until the latter stages.

However, Signe Bruun, Caroline Moller and Linda Caicedo all got on the scoresheet in the final 20 minutes as Madrid put some gloss on the scoreline at the Alfredo di Stefano Stadium.

They were not the only convincing winners on Thursday, as Roma crushed Galatasaray 6-1 to go top of Group A on goal difference, with captain Manuela Giugliano scoring twice and laying on two assists.

The other game in Group A saw European heavyweights Wolfsburg and Lyon go head-to-head, with the French giants leaving Germany with a statement 2-0 victory.

Wolfsburg's Alexandra Popp joined Wendie Renard as the only players to make 100 Women's Champions League appearances, but the French centre-back overshadowed her by nodding in an eighth-minute opener.

Lyon had the better of the contest throughout, finishing with 2.75 expected goals (xG) to Wolfsburg's 0.83, and they killed the match from the penalty spot eight minutes into the second half, Lindsey Horan scoring after Melchie Dumornay was felled by Janina Minge. 

Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor explained why Catarina Macario was left out of the squad to face FC Twente in their second Champions League group game.

Having brought a squad of 22 players, Macario was not among them, despite having featured in Chelsea's 2-1 victory over Arsenal last weekend.

The Brazilian joined the Blues from Lyon on a free transfer last year, and has scored two goals in 10 appearances after picking up an anterior cruciate ligament injury (ACL) prior to her arrival at Stamford Bridge. 

While her attacking threat will be missed against Twente, Bompastor said her absence was part of the bigger picture for Chelsea.

"Catarina we are building some minutes and building on her fitness," said Bompastor.

"It’s part of the plan and her own process. We work a lot individually with every player and try to give them what they need to be fit and back to their best version.

"We just felt it was a good decision to have her staying in London and working individually with some staff. She will be ready for the game on Sunday.’

Chelsea have won four matches out of four in all competitions since Bompastor took over before the start of the season.

Travelling to play Twente, who also started their Champions League campaign with a victory earlier in the month, the Chelsea manager is targeting a continuation of their form.

She highlighted Lauren James as a potential difference maker ahead of Thursday's match, pointing out that her talents mean she can fill multiple roles in the same match.

"LJ can play in different positions. With the ball she has so much talent" Bompastor said.

She is able to play in the central corridor or in a wide position. She can also play as a false forward, so she has all the ability to play in different positions.

"In my game model I can use her in different positions, I don’t have only one position I think she can fit best.

"LJ is a player who needs to touch the ball. Sometimes she needs to drop a little bit and touch the ball to make sure she is confident in the game.

"This is something we are learning from each other, and making sure she goes in a position where she can have the most impact for the team.

"She is unbelievable when she is able to make an impact higher in the pitch, scoring, assisting, crossing as in the last game against Arsenal. This is what we want from her."

Bompastor also gave an update on long-term injury absentee Sam Kerr, who is currently recovering after a ruptured ACL in January.

"Sam is doing good," said Bompastor."Mentally she is in a good place. We see her every day, even if she’s not involved in training sessions.

"She brings some positive things to the team being around even if she’s not training collectively. She brings so much to the squad."

Jonas Eidevall failed to concede Arsenal's hopes of winning the Women's Super League title after falling to a 2-1 defeat to Chelsea at the Emirates on Saturday. 

The defeat leaves Arsenal in sixth place in the early-season standings having taken just five points from their opening four games of the season. 

Mayra Ramirez and Sandy Baltimore handed the visitors a two-goal advantage early on, with Caitlin Foord's fine individual effort before half-time proving to be just a consolation. 

It brought an end to a dismal week for Eidevall, having watched his side lose their Champions League opener 5-2 to Bayern Munich on Wednesday.

"It certainly doesn't help, but as I said before, the only way is to go game by game," Eidevall said on his side's hopes of winning the title after their poor start to the campaign. 

"We are disappointed with the result and the start today, but I am very proud of the heart that the players showed."

But following Chelsea's first two goals, it was Arsenal who were in the ascendency, creating the better of the chances in north London but failing to make them count. 

The Gunners registered 20 attempts during the contest, but only four of which were on target, rarely troubling visiting goalkeeper Hannah Hampton for the most part. 

Though Arsenal find themselves already four points behind the early-season pacesetters, Eidevall still believes he is still the right man to lead the Gunners forward. 

"I gave my absolute everything. You can see that the players certainly gave everything on the pitch too, and that is the thing you can control," Eidevall said. 

"I think the way that the players played with the heart on the pitch, I can't ask for anything more," he added when asked if he had the backing of his players. 

"It showed in the way that they played that they were giving their absolute everything on the pitch."

Chelsea, meanwhile, continued their fine start under Sonia Bompastor, building on their impressive win against Real Madrid in midweek with a triumph over their fierce rivals. 

But it was anything but comfortable for the Blues, who managed an expected goals (xG) total of just 0.35 from their efforts during the second half. 

"For sure it was a tough game, we were expecting that. It's always good to win, three points are three points," Bompastor said.

"But I wish my team were able to play the ball better in the second half. The quality of the players we have, we should be able to produce more.

"Good moments, we need to enjoy them and have fun."

Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor says the Blues are focusing purely on their own form as they bid to continue their flawless start to her reign against Arsenal.

Taking over from legendary boss Emma Hayes, Bompastor has overseen back-to-back Women's Super League wins over Aston Villa (1-0) and Crystal Palace (7-0).

The Blues saw their matchday three fixture versus Manchester United postponed last week, but a victory over rivals Arsenal in Saturday's lone WSL game would take them top of the table.

Arsenal were tipped as candidates to end Chelsea's five-year reign at the summit of the English game in pre-season, only to draw two of their opening three matches, but Bompastor is not concerned with others' results.

"The players are really focused on themselves and on the team. I just want them to stay focused on the job we have to do. We prepare for every game in such a professional way," Bompastor said.

"For me, Arsenal is no different from the other teams we have been facing, so we focus on ourselves. 

"We know what we need to do tomorrow to get a good result and a great performance, that's it. This game is worth three points, the same as the other ones. 

"Of course it's a derby, a special game in that way, but it's just three points in the end. We have our ambitions, our goals, and this game will bring three points if we are able to win, that's it. I'm just focused on my team and what we need to do."

Arsenal are unbeaten in their last four home meetings with Chelsea in the WSL (two wins, two draws), but they have not won back-to-back home games against them since June 2013 (a run of three in a row).

They meet a Blues side in fine goalscoring form, winning their last five WSL games by an aggregate scoreline of 23-0 in a run dating back to Hayes' reign, though they have not won six straight league matches without conceding since April 2021.

Bompastor added: "We feel great. We had the last training session this afternoon and the weather was perfect, we really enjoyed it! The team is in a really good dynamic so we feel good.

"We played on Tuesday and we had a good result. We were able to manage the week the way we wanted to and I think we are ready for tomorrow, a big game and a derby."

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."

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.