The Blues prepared for Roma with an open training session on Tuesday morning, as Bompastor confirmed that Lauren James and Keira Walsh would be available for selection after they both missed out on the squad for last Sunday's 3-1 win at Crystal Palace.

The Giallorosse are in good form ahead of their trip to Plough Lane, having beaten rivals Juventus 5-2 in domestic action last weekend. Tickets are still available for this key Champions League clash, and you can secure your seat here.

Here are the rest of the key talking points from Tuesday's pre-match press conference.

On a strong start to the season…

Erin Cuthbert: 'It's been a great start, but that is all it is - a start. There are so many more games of football to be played and you can't get too far ahead of yourself.

'We're still in October, as crazy as that sounds, and we've won nothing at the moment. We've put ourselves in a good position and that's all it is as far as I'm concerned. We need to keep building. We have really good momentum, a good feeling about the group at the moment.

'Everybody's in high spirits, giving Sonia plenty of headaches, and as players that is our job - to keep giving her headaches and keep her up at night. That's all we can do as players and, as a team, we've got to keep moving forward. It doesn't matter who's on the pitch.'

On Giulia Dragoni facing her former side and progress made this season…

Sonia Bompastor: 'We spoke a little bit with Giulia, just on her experience and the time she spent at Roma. She was really happy with the experience she had over there. It was really important for her to play many minutes.

'I know it's an important season for her as well, going into the Women's World Cup, and right now she hasn't played a lot of minutes with us, but she's coming in as a new player. The competition is really high right now, especially in midfield.

'I'm really pleased with what she's doing with us on and off the pitch. She has a great mentality, she works hard, she always wants more and she wants to learn. She always wants us to provide feedback on what she's doing. She's making steps in the right direction, even though she's not getting minutes.

'I'm confident she will get that opportunity and she will play minutes for us in the future. In the short term and medium term, she will be an important player for Italy and she will make an impact for herself.'

On improving opposition teams in the UWCL…

Bompastor: 'We always want to come into every competition with the strongest performance possible. We know the Champions League has a different level and the competition is becoming even more difficult.

'Many teams are able to put in really good performances and, as you could see when we opened the competition against Austria Vienna, it was a tough game because they were brave enough to man-mark us and to expose us to some challenges.

'We found a way to win, but we want to control every game as much as we can, no matter which competition we're playing in.'

Erin on returning to fitness as new club captain…

Cuthbert: 'I've been really enjoying being back on the pitch. When you're away for so long, every small win, just getting back in training and being able to play in a small side, being part of the 11 v 11 in training, it's those things that are such small wins.

'So I can't wait to fully get back out there and walk the team out at some point. It's something that I've been thinking about for a long time since the injury happened and I haven't been able to play my part.

'The team have done brilliantly in my absence, by the way. [Vice-captains] Lucy [Bronze], Nathalie [Bjorn], and all the people who have stepped in, in my absence, have been tremendous, and that has to be said.'

On building a new culture this season…

Bompastor: 'Most of the time we speak about the tactical aspects, the technical aspects and fitness going into the game, but for me, mental aspects and the cultural aspects are as important. We needed to rebuild that a little bit going into this new season. We reflected a lot with the staff on how we wanted to set up the process for that.

'Right now, we are in a good place. When you get good results, it's not only about the tactical aspects. It's also down to the mentality, the mindset, the culture and the values around the team. We have clarity on where we want to go as a full team.

'You know, in football, sometimes even when you are doing the right things, it doesn't always go the way you want. So you need to take some credit and also enjoy it when it's going well. We know if we want to stay happy we need to keep going with good results and that's the best way to keep everyone in the team happy as well.'