‘It is always difficult to break their lines’ – Bompastor hopes for strong Chelsea start against St. Pölten | OneFootball

Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor says that her side must look to start the game well when they face SKN St. Pölten in a UEFA Women’s Champions League fixture at the NV Arena this evening.

St. Pölten are bottom of the league after two rounds of matches. They have conceded nine goals while they are yet to score themselves.

Chelsea are the overwhelming favourites to come out on top in Austria, however, head coach Bompastor says that The Blues must look to break their opponents down very quickly if they are to be successful.

“I’ve watched the games that they’ve played in the Champions League this season,” Bompastor said when speaking in the pre-match press conference. “St. Polten are a team that are really well-organised in terms of defensive aspects; they’re really compact, they don’t give away a lot of space and they are quite aggressive when they are defending.

“It is always difficult to break their lines, to break their block and it’ll be really important for us to score the first goal early in the game. We also need to stay patient to be able to open the spaces on the pitch.”

While Chelsea are unbeaten this season, they have struggled to convert chances at times. Bompastor says that her players must remain confident and instinctive in their approach to shooting at goal.

She said “For me, it’s about thinking positively. We are a team that create a lot of opportunities and are able to move the ball high up the pitch to get into the opposition box. I think that’s the most important thing. Being clinical goes a lot with the players’ confidence, so for them not to start to overthink when they are in this situation and more to have instinct.

“I’m fully-confident that we will create opportunities in this game and that we will be able to score.”

Chelsea have been without attacker Lauren James for a lengthy period but Bompastor shared some good news regarding the player’s recovery.

She said “She’s closer and closer [to being involved]. She travelled with us and she is in the squad, so it’s good for us.”

Chelsea’s UEFA Women’s Champions League fixture against SKN St. Pölten kicks-off at 8pm this evening.