Sonia Bompastor Looks Ahead to FA Cup Game Against Charlton Athletic.

The fourth round of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup gets underway this weekend, with

Chelsea FCW hosting Charlton Athletic at 3pm at Kingsmeadow on Sunday 12

January.

The WSL title holders and last year’s FA Cup semi-finalists have maintained bright

form in the lead up to this game, with 4 wins and 1 draw in their last 5 fixtures prior to

the winter break. Their Championship opponents sit 8th in the Championship, with

only 1 win in their last 5 fixtures.

Ahead of their cup tie, Sonia Bompastor spoke at Cobham by giving injury updates

and the squad’s preparation post- winter training camp in the Algarve, Portugal.

Transfer Window:

Sonia spoke about the importance of retaining experienced squad members through

contract extensions, on the back of the news that Guro Reiten has renewed her

contract for 1 year. “Guro is a really talented player with a lot of experience. She is

so smart on the pitch so this is really good news”.

She confirmed Chelsea have not yet signed anyone but alluded to some “good news later” within the next few weeks regarding keeping their best players within the squad. “If the right opportunity comes we will study it, and see if we can reinforce the team”.

Importance of Rest:

Sonia spoke about the vital need for the winter break warm weather camp, which

was spent in Portugal with the squad. “The opportunity for us to be together in a nice

country… and work off the pitch on the dynamic within the team with good

teambuilding activities. I think everyone was happy with the camp.”

“We came back with freshness, and I could see a big difference with our last training

session of the year in December, and now in the second part of the season. We are

human, and everyone needs a break, mentally and physically.”

Injuries and squad fitness:

Sonia confirmed Lauren James is back fit and well within the squad, and fully

training. She is available for selection for Sunday. “She is a creative player, and

loves football. She is so passionate, and this has been a long time for her. She has

had the right mentality, and she has been working hard. We are all happy she is back

and I hope she will have a big impact with us.”

Johanna Rytting-Kaneryd is not fit enough yet to be back in the squad but “is close to

the group”. When asked about Sam Kerr and Mia Fishel, Sonia stated “they are still

in their own process, not fully training with the team. They are processing well but it

is not time to discuss returning to full training sessions”.

Upcoming FA cup fixture against Charlton:

Sonia expressed her eagerness heading into the FA Cup, emphasising “as a coach

and as a squad we are very excited to start this competition. We feel ready for the

game on Sunday. We are ready to face an opposition who will give us a tough game.

Charlton have some good physicality and strength, and we are ready for that. This is

a trophy to win.” Charlton maybe didn’t start the season well but there are some

games they have been doing a lot better, and we can expect them to give us a tough

game on Sunday. They have experienced players and are good in transition.”

When asked about balancing prioritising 4 competitions, she stated “I am lucky

enough to have a strong squad that allow me to rotate the players. Every game is a

priority as it can bring a trophy for the club.”

In response to being asked about the main challenges to overcome when playing a

lower ranked side within a cup competition, the Blues boss expressed “We need to

stay focussed on our strengths and our squad to make sure we play at the level we

want to play to execute the game the best we can. Mentally and physically, we are

ready to start the game with a lot of intensity and we are expecting Charlton to

maybe have a low block waiting for us. Tactically, we are prepared for that”.