Injury-hit Chelsea not in crisis, says Bompastor ahead of Champions League quarter-final

Sonia Bompastor insisted that Chelsea are not going through a crisis despite missing several first-team players for their Women’s Champions League clash with Arsenal.

Chelsea make the short trip to Emirates Stadium on Tuesday for the first leg of their quarter-final tie with the Gunners, who won the competition for the second time last season.

This will be Arsenal’s second Champions League tie against a fellow English side, losing both legs of their 2013-14 quarter-final tie to Birmingham City (0-1 away, 0-2 home).

Chelsea, meanwhile, had their only tie with an English opponent last season, losing the 1st leg 2-0 away to Manchester City before winning the 2nd leg 3-0 to advance.

However, Bompastor’s preparations have been overshadowed by injuries, with only eight players taking part in a training session on Monday.

“Are we playing the World Sevens [7-aside tournament] tomorrow?,” Bompastor joked. “No, we are aware we are playing a big game, a Champions League quarter-final.

“When you are playing a lot of games and there are quick turnarounds, a lot of players do individual programs.

“So everything is under control, and we will have enough players to play the game tomorrow. Don’t worry. I’m not concerned.

“I think as a staff, our job is to make sure we prepare the players in the best way possible for them to come into every game and prepare as prepared as possible.

“I think we have enough experience in the staff and myself to understand where they are and what is the best preparation for them going into the next game.”

All eyes on the Champions League. pic.twitter.com/5N6uKqHGAc

— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) March 23, 2026

The Chelsea boss also confirmed that a late decision will be made on Aggie Beever-Jones, with the striker sustaining an ankle injury against the London City Lionesses.

Millie Bright, Nathalie Bjorn, Mayra Ramirez and Niamh Charles are still carrying injuries and won’t be available.

In addition, Sam Kerr and Ellie Carpenter will miss the first leg of the quarter-final due to their participation in the Asian Cup final, with Australia losing 1-0 to Japan on Saturday.

Bompastor was, however, hopeful that both Kerr and Carpenter would be available for this weekend’s Women’s Super League clash against Aston Villa.

“I think we are in a position when it’s really difficult to make a decision for them to be available,” Bompastor added.

“Actually, it’s a shame a little bit because I think they are important players for us. I just think during the season for your club, it’s hard because they can’t play for both.

“And actually we won our first trophy and I’m sure both of them would have been really happy to be around the team. But it is what it is.

“They are not with us, we’ll see how it goes in the next days. It’s a high risk to have them involved in the game tomorrow.”

Chelsea went winless in their two WSL meetings with Arsenal this season (D1 L1), but they have not played 3+ games against the same side in a campaign without winning at least one since 2018-19 (P4 D2 L2 vs Manchester City).

The Blues have only lost two of their last 14 away games against the Gunners in all competitions, however (W8 D4).