Saturday’s final saw the hosts Australia – featuring Sam Kerr and Ellie Carpenter – suffer a 1-0 defeat to Japan, with the decisive goal scored in the first half by Maika Hamano – currently on loan from Chelsea at Tottenham Hotspur.

Their involvement at the tournament means Kerr and Carpenter have been missing from the Blues squad in recent weeks, including our own final victory to lift the Women’s League Cup by beating Manchester United in Bristol, claiming our first silverware of 2025/26.

The Australian pair remain in doubt for our next huge game, the first leg of our UEFA Women’s Champions quarter-final away at Arsenal this evening.

‘It’s a little bit of a shame because they are important players for us,’ said Bompastor. ‘But also, reflecting on that, I think it was obviously really good for them.

‘But I just think during the club season, it's hard because they can't play for both and we won our first trophy, and I'm sure both of them would have been really happy to be around the team.

‘But it is what it is. They are not with us and we'll see how it goes in the next few days, but it's a high risk of not having them involved in the game tonight. It's too soon.’

However, Bompastor insists her concerns are purely about the players’ physical condition.

‘I spoke with Sam and she's in a good place mentally,’ Sonia continued. ‘She wants to come back and we are sure she wants to play as soon as possible.

‘So we'll assess her, but it will be a long travel and we’ll see where she is, but mentally she's keen to play as soon as possible.’

Bompastor finished by reiterating her pride at seeing her players flying the Blue flag on the international scene, and underlining her belief that Kerr and Carpenter have the mental strength to come back strong and recover from their disappointment to play an important role for Chelsea during the remainder of the season.

‘It was disappointing for them, obviously,’ added our head coach. ‘I think they represented their country at the highest level. They probably made some really young girls dream about being a footballer for Australia. I think if you look at the attendance in the stadium for the final, it was great.

‘I want to have a word for Maika Hamano, one of the other players who was playing the final, and she just got a really important goal. We are all proud of all three of them and I think they represented Chelsea at the highest level.

‘So mentally it’s tough when you lose a final, but they are also competitors and high [performing] athletes. They know how to come back, so they will have all the support to do that as well from the club.’