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Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor says that this weekend’s Barclays Women’s Super League fixture against Arsenal is hugely important in the context of the title race but believes her side are ready for the challenge.
The Blues travel to the Emirates Stadium to take on The Gunners on Saturday lunchtime. Victory for the South West Londoners would leave Arsenal’s title hopes hanging by a thread.
When speaking to the media in the pre-match press conference, Chelsea boss Bompastor highlighted the increased importance of a game against a title rival.
“Every game in this league is important and every game is three points,” Bompastor said. “When you play a rival for a title, it’s even more important. For that reason, we know we have to go into the game with confidence, we want to show our best side and we want to perform. Three points are crucial and we know that.
“I have a lot of experience in my squad and in my team. The players know the importance of the game and will go into it with the right level of pressure. It’s always good to have pressure going into the game, it’s good motivation to face a big team. We will be ready for that.”
Chelsea and Arsenal haven’t met since January. The Gunners have become champions of Europe since then and Bompastor was quick to highlight the quality that flows throughout the North Londoners’ squad.
She said “It feels like a long time since we faced them. In terms of confidence, they are the Champions League contenders, so they are playing with confidence, they have a lot of quality all over the pitch both individually and as a team.
“The game will be a challenge but I also think we have a lot of quality, so we are looking forward to playing this game. It’ll always be a challenge to face Arsenal because of their quality all over the pitch, so we expect them to be ready to compete. Hopefully, it’ll be a good game.”
A near-capacity crowd will cheer on the two teams at the Emirates Stadium and Bompastor wants her side to enjoy the experience and have fun.
She said “I loved the last game when we played at the Emirates. I think the atmosphere is great. Having the chance to play at this stadium, to face a big opponent and to play these big games with a lot of fans in the stadium, that’s why we come to work each day.
“The game tomorrow will be about having fun and being patient. Just the fact that we have the opportunity to go into that game and have fun is the most important thing. We are looking forward to that and we are pleased and happy to play the game.”
Chelsea’s Barclays Women’s Super League fixture at Arsenal kicks-off at 12pm on Saturday afternoon.
