Nocturnal 
Chelsea have confirmed their starting XI for Thursday’s Women’s Champions League tie away at Lyon, with head coach Sonia Bompastor making two changes to the side that beat Arsenal.
Veerle Buurman comes into the back line in place of Katie McCabe, while Sjoeke Nusken replaces Lauren James in the Chelsea side announced by the club’s official site.
It’s a game with plenty of subplots. Bompastor is heading back to face her former club, and she’s not the only one with history at the Groupama Stadium. Lucy Bronze, Kadeisha Buchanan, Ellie Carpenter and Melvine Malard all line up against their old side having previously played for Lyon.
Potter starts again after England call-up
One of the standout stories of the week has been Lexi Potter’s rise. The Chelsea Academy graduate starts once more alongside Keira Walsh in midfield, just days after earning her first call-up to the senior England squad on Tuesday.
Potter had already been grabbing attention for her performance in Chelsea’s 1-0 win over Arsenal on Sunday, a result that kept the Blues’ momentum going heading into this European fixture. Now she gets the chance to back that up on one of the biggest stages in the women’s club game.
The confirmed teams
Chelsea’s starting XI reads: Hampton, Carpenter, Bronze (c), Buchanan, Buurman, Walsh, Potter, Kaptein, Nusken, Thompson, Malard.
Bompastor has options on the bench too, with Peng, Spencer, Pelz, Bjorn, Las, Dragoni, Brown, Hamano, Baltimore, James and Beever-Jones all named among the substitutes. That means Lauren James, despite dropping out of the starting line-up, is available to be brought on if needed.
Lucy Bronze continues to captain the side, leading a back line that also features Buchanan and Carpenter, both of whom will know exactly what to expect from their former teammates in a Lyon side packed with quality.
What’s at stake
For Chelsea, the trip to Lyon is another chance to build on domestic form in the Women’s Champions League, with Sunday’s win over Arsenal having already put the Blues in good spirits going into the French leg of their week.
For Bompastor, there’s an obvious personal edge to proceedings given her previous spell in charge at Lyon, though she’ll be solely focused on getting a result for her new club.
As it stands, Chelsea go into the match off the back of a strong run of form, with eyes also on how Potter continues to develop following her senior England recognition. Full match updates and the result will follow once the game at Groupama Stadium is played out.
