The Blues lifted last season's FA Cup at Wembley by recording a 3-0 victory over United, who we will also face in next month's Women's League Cup final.

So the present will be informed by the past and future when the two sides walk out at Kingsmeadow on Sunday, something Bompastor highlighted when speaking to the media.

And that is where we begin in our rundown of the main talking points from today's press conference...

Avoiding overthinking

With back-to-back knockout games either side of the international break, including a final, Bompastor discussed her approach to fashioning a game plan to face the same opponent twice.

Bompastor: 'When you face the same opponent multiple times in a short space of time, you can start to overthink and sometimes think too much about the opposition, so you need to balance focusing on your team.

'So that's the main learning for me, making sure that going into these games. I focus on my team and make sure I put my players in the best place for them to perform at their best level.'

A long-awaited return

After suffering an ACL injury in November 2024, defender Kadeisha Buchanan will be available for selection when we face Marc Skinner's side on Sunday.

Bompastor: 'Keish is in a good place right now, she’s feeling confident. I think it’s exciting for her be in the squad for the weekend game because she's been injured for quite a long time.'

A difficult opponent

United are currently second in the Women's Super League table and held the Blues to a 1-1 draw when we met earlier in the campaign. It's why the Chelsea head coach is prepared for a challenging afternoon at Kingsmeadow on Sunday.

Bompastor: 'We know we are facing a really good team. They are in a really good form; there have been a lot of wins in the games for them recently. So we are prepared for that, and as usual, the training week has been good so far.

I think we could see again this week, a lot of intensity in the training sessions, a lot of hard work, and we are confident going to the game at the weekend.'

Fans' support

Bompastor has called on the Blues faithful at Kingsmeadow to help the players advance to the next round of the competition.

Bompastor: 'I think they can make a real difference, especially with us playing a home game. We are hoping to see a lot of them being loud and helping us. I think they bring the energy for the players and the extra motivation.

'We will probably have some tough moments in the game because Man United are a great team, but when you have those moments, you need to hear the supporters because they bring confidence also for the players.'

Rebuilding confidence

Chelsea come into the FA Cup tie after back-to-back wins over Tottenham and Liverpool in the WSL. Yet those wins were preceded by two difficult losses to Arsenal and Manchester City.

Bompastor: 'We are trying to focus on game by game. I think that's really important. In recent weeks, we had some tough games. The results we got were not the ones we were expecting, but it happens in football, even for a team like Chelsea.

'I think right now we are in a better place. We are looking at the future with confidence.'