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Here is what Sonia Bompastor said in her pre-match press conference.
On the possibility of starting a weaker side:
Weâ€re a team that create a lot of opportunities. We can move the ball high up the pitch so then itâ€s down to finishing them. The players should be confident; they just need to avoid overthinking.
On Peng starting after Hampton picked up an injury against Arsenal:
She hasnâ€t had a lot of minutes, but she played well in the first game against Twente and she is performing well in every training session.
It is a positive for her to play in the game and we are confident in her. She has a lot of quality and she will be playing. That is what weâ€re focused on.
And on St Pölten:
They are a well-organised defensive unit, very compact. They donâ€t allow you much space on the pitch and they are aggressive out of possession, so itâ€s always difficult to break their lines, to break their block. An early goal would be great; if not, we must stay patient.
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Here is a reminder as how Chelsea have fared in the Champions League so far this season.
Sophie Downeyâ€s verdict at Stamford Bridge after four different goalscorers made their mark against Paris FC.
And Suzanne Wrack on their less than ideal start back at the start of October.
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Team news
St Pölten (4-4-1): Schlüter; Krizaj, Nagy, Ebert, Klein, Ollivier; Elmore, Peneau, Laino, Gutmann; Brunold.
Subs:Hermsmeier, Vracevic, Aistleitner, Rukavina, Seiro, Woelki, Matavkova.
Chelsea (4-3-3): Peng; Carpenter, Bronze, Girma, Baltimore; Kaptein, Walsh, Macario; Rytting Kaneryd, Thompson, Kerr.
Subs:Spencer, Bright, Buurman, Nüsken, Cuthbert, James, Björn, Charles, Hamano, Jean-François, Potter.
An expected weakened side for the visitors. It will be interesting to see how the midfield three of Wieke Kaptein, Keira Walsh and Catarina Macario operate.
Sam Kerr gets her first start for Chelsea since her injury in 2023 while Naomi Girma will get her first minutes of the season. Lauren James is also back in the squad after returning to training this week and makes the bench.
Referee: Franziska Wildfeuer (Germany)
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Preamble
Chelsea are back in Womenâ€s Champions League action and will be hoping to continue their strong run of form against St Pölten, the Austrian side yet to pick up a point in the competition.
Sonia Bompastorâ€s side started the league phase with a disappointing draw against Twente but made up for it with a 4-0 hammering of Paris FC a month ago.
The WSL champions will hope this is the year they finally end their wait for European glory and they will surely be aiming for one of the four automatic qualification spots for the quarter-final to make that goal easier. As it stands, Chelsea are in a knockout phase playoff position with two points separating them from the top four.
Kick-off is scheduled for 8pm GMT at the NV Arena. Join me for all the updates, and as always, feel free to get in touch with your thoughts, questions and predictions via email.
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