Bompastor expects Chelsea to face ‘proactive’ West Ham side in League Cup semi-final | OneFootball

Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor says that she is expecting a completely different game against West Ham United this evening.

The two sides last faced each other at The Chigwell Construction Stadium in the Barclays Women’s Super League a little over a fortnight ago. The Blues were emphatic 5-0 winners in that match.

Chelsea and West Ham United renew their rivalry in the Subway Women’s League Cup semi-finals at Kingsmeadow this evening and Blues boss Bompastor believes that The Hammers will be more proactive in their on-field approach.

“It’s a semi-final, it’s a very important game and both teams will be very motivated,” Bompastor said when speaking in the pre-match press conference. “It’s an opportunity to reach a final.

“From our last game against them, we expect them to do things a little differently. In that game, they were a bit passive and I expect them to be a bit more proactive in this game. They will be really motivated and I think it will be a completely different game.”

While Chelsea won their first three games of 2025 by large margins, they’ve left it late to claim victory in their last two fixtures against Arsenal and Aston Villa. Bompastor explained that her side were well-below their usual standards against Aston Villa at the weekend but the group have realigned ahead of this evening’s semi-final tie.

She said “It shows that this league is competitive and that every game is a challenge. We were not all connected on the pitch on Sunday, we were not all playing together and sometimes, players are on different pages. It can happen and we have just made sure that we have gone back to the game model, so that we are all on the same page.

“We have the quality in the squad to be able to do a lot more. We reflected on the game on Sunday and we know exactly what we have to do in the game [against West Ham].”

Chelsea still have Sam Kerr and Mia Fishel to come back into the squad later this year following injury and Bompastor says that squad depth is needed if her side are to be ultra-successful.

She said “It is really important for us to have depth in our squad, especially because we want to go deep in every competition. We will have to play every three days, three games a week, so without depth in your squad, it is more difficult. It is really important for us to have the depth and the quality.

“When you think that these two players are still to come back and help the team, it will be a big support to us.”

Chelsea’s Subway Women’s League Cup semi-final tie against West Ham United kicks-off at 7pm. Any remaining tickets will be available to purchase by clicking here.