The defender was first ruled out in December 2025 and made her return as a substitute during our Women's League Cup final win over Manchester United in March 2026. Minutes after entering the pitch, Bjorn suffered a cruel twist of fate that would keep her out until she successfully made her return in last Saturday's victory against Birmingham City.

It was clear that the Sweden international was full of emotion after the final whistle at Stamford Bridge at the weekend, having been given a rousing reception by the Chelsea faithful. Her courage through a difficult journey was also acknowledged by her team-mates and the Blues staff after the match.

'I had such a warm welcome from both my team-mates and the fans at the stadium,' she tells us. 'It was really nice, and I’m super happy to make my return and to get that warm welcome. It means the world to me.

'Last season wasn't the best for our team and for me personally, so this season feels like a fresh start. I’m going to take it step by step, but so far it feels good.'

The experienced Bjorn was named as one of new skipper Erin Cuthbert's vice-captains at the start of the campaign, alongside Lucy Bronze. Describing the new responsibility as an 'honour', the defender explained what she will bring to the table as a senior leader and recounted how she was first informed of the vice-captaincy award.

'Sonia took us into a meeting and told us that we were the chosen vice-captains, which was really nice, of course,' Bjorn says.

'I'm really happy for that and to get that confidence from the girls. Of course, it's an honour. Especially because the players that I play with every day are top, top athletes playing for their countries, and I'm really honoured to be voted for by them.

'In terms of my leadership style, I would say I’m a calm leader. I’m open, very easy to talk to, and I just try to see everyone in the changing room.'

After qualifying for this season's Women's Champions League with a 6-2 aggregate win over Real Sociedad, we begin the league phase of the competition with a fixture against Austria Vienna at Plough Lane on tonight.

Now fit and ready to play, Bjorn explains where she feels the team is up to, and what kind of challenges playing in Europe will bring.

'We're in a good phase at the moment,' she explains. 'The new players have settled in really well, I would say. We have unique players coming in with their qualities, and they can help this group. And I feel like we're a tight group, too.

'We had some good performances in the last few games; we're playing well at the moment, and we just need to keep building on that.

'The Champions League format is different, and it feels like every game is so much more important, so we need to be on our A game. It doesn't matter who we play against, we know it's tight in the Champions League, but here is exactly where we want to be.

'They know it's a 90-minute game, and everything can happen, so they will put their heart into that performance and do everything to try to beat us. We need to stay patient, and we need to keep playing like we've been playing for the last few games and score some goals.'

Bjorn scored in our incredible 3-0 Champions League quarter-final comeback win against Manchester City at Stamford Bridge in 2024/25. She understands that nights like that are the prize for coming through these early encounters, and she wants more of the same this season.

'That night was an unforgettable one for all of us,' she smiles.

'I mean, playing those games again, playing against top teams, competing for a trophy. It's the most precious trophy, and it's a trophy that we want to lay our hands on.'