In the summer, the 24-year-old helped Germany reach the Women’s Euro 2025 semi-finals against Spain. Yet the crucial match was tinged with disappointment as Nusken was forced to watch her country's exit from the sidelines due to suspension.

It’s clear her frustration has now turned to laser focus for the domestic season ahead. She clearly means business.

‘Pre-season is over,’ she declares. ‘We have worked a lot. We’ve worked hard, so we are ready for the new season.

‘I think it's always a good thing to be the favourite and to be one of the teams dominating the league. This is our aim, and this is why we are working hard every day on the pitch. We want to be this team.

‘We want to be the winner in the league again. This is what we want to achieve.’

Chelsea’s opponents are familiar, having faced the City five times in all competitions last season.

Yet while Sonia Bompastor prepares for her second season in charge, Man City will have a new boss leading their team out on Friday, having appointed former Denmark boss Andree Jeglertz.

However, rather than the fixture being a daunting proposition for the Blues, Nusken instead wants to seize the opportunity to show the rest of the league what Chelsea are all about.

‘We know them very well and they know us very well,’ she continues. ‘It will be very interesting to see how it works out after a long pre-season. It’s always a good game against Man City. It's always tough to play against them, and to be honest, I like that we’re playing a big rival in the first game because it gets us going straight away.

‘We’re beginning with a big game, one very important game, against City. They are always playing at the top of the table as well, and we need to dominate this game. We want to set a standard so that other teams see we are already in a good rhythm.’

Nusken is not alone in her love for playing at the Bridge in front of our fans; in fact, she is joined by every one of her team-mates in professing her love for the famous venue.

And although she is laser-focused in terms of what she wants the team to achieve this season, she knows we can’t do it without the help of the Chelsea faithful.

‘The first game will be even more special because it’s at Stamford Bridge,’ she says. ‘We love to play there, we love the fans there, we have a brilliant atmosphere, so it will be a great game on Friday.

‘They help us a lot because they are so loud. They're always pushing us forward. Our performance is always better when we have our fans. We need them on Friday, and we hope a lot of fans will come to the match.’

Help cheer on Sjoeke Nusken and the Bluesat Stamford Bridge against Manchester City in the first Women's Super League game of the season this Friday! Secure your tickets for that fixture here.