Chelsea’s Bompastor Prepares for ‘Confident’ and ‘Organised’ Manchester United

Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor anticipates Manchester United will employ a compact defensive strategy, despite United having conceded only two goals across seven WSL matches this season. Bompastor expressed confidence that her team possesses the capability to penetrate their opponent’s defense. Bompastor stated, “United have a strong squad with a lot of quality all over the pitch. They are really organised, they don’t concede a lot of goals. They really defend well as a team. We will have to find a way to keep possession of the ball and cause them trouble.” Chelsea recently defeated Celtic 3-0 in the Women’s Champions League on Wednesday, overcoming their defensive formation. Bompastor suggested that United might utilize comparable tactical approaches. She added, “We expect [to face] the same kind of organisation, maybe sometimes a low block, really compact. We worked on that during the game on Wednesday and in training.” Last season, Emma Hayes’ Chelsea secured the WSL title by defeating United 6-0 at Old Trafford on the final day. Bompastor expressed caution regarding the visitors’ potential motivation for retribution. Bompastor commented, “They will be coming with confidence because they are unbeaten and have quality. What happened in the last game of last season… it will be in their mentality and we have to expect that.” United will be missing striker Elisabeth Terland due to a groin injury. However, Bompastor acknowledged the capabilities of Melvin Malard, whom she previously coached at Lyon, and Rachel Williams. “I know Malard, since she joined United she’s been on fire,” Bompastor stated. “A lot of our players know Williams, we have to be able to defend well on the ground and in the air. I think we are ready for that. The Man City game [Chelsea won 2-0] showed we are able to not concede against one of the best strikers in the world in [Khadija] Bunny Shaw.”