Charles was replaced by Sandy Baltimore at half-time of our 3-1 win against Aston Villa, having received treatment for an ankle problem during the opening 45 minutes.

While there was initial concern over the injury sustained by Charles, Bompastor feels confident about her recovery time, but whether the England international is fit enough for our first competitive outing at Kingsmeadow remains to be seen.

'There was nothing major from the last game,' explained Bompastor at her pre-match press conference. 'We had Niamh, who had something with her ankle, but she's recovering well. We'll see if she's available for Sunday. From what I saw on the pitch, I was worrying, but after the game, she was fine.'

Girma has missed our opening two matches of the campaign due to injury, and Bompastor confirmed the American international would be absent for the visit of the Foxes.

The Blues head coach also updated on the fitness of Lucy Bronze and Lauren James, who have both been sidelined after winning the Women's European Championship with England.

'Lucy, LJ, and Naomi are all progressing well,' continued Bompastor. 'They won't be involved in the game this weekend, but probably we'll see them later or earlier in October. They are all progressing individually in their own way.'

Summer signing Alyssa Thompson made her Chelsea debut in our win over Aston Villa; the 20-year-old was introduced from the bench and helped us secure victory in the Midlands.

Bompastor is pleased with how the USA international has been welcomed into the Chelsea family and is happy with our numerous options in attack.

'I had a really good conversation again with Alyssa yesterday,' said the boss. 'She's settling in really well. She loves being here in London. Coming from LA, that's a good thing. I think she already feels part of a family, and for me, as a manager, that's important.

'We create an environment where people feel part of a family. I think she feels good being around the players, being on the pitch. She understands what we want to achieve as a team and what we expect from her on the pitch, both individually and for the team.

'Everything is clear for her, and she's settling in really well. When I look at her, she's smiling. So it means she's happy.

'With the quality of the players we have, we are one of the teams with the best quality upfront, for sure. I think that's really important because we are playing so many games.

'The schedule is intense, and we want to compete in all four competitions. It's important to have depth in every position, but also to have healthy competition between the players.

'We want to go into every game and be a competitive team. When you look at some of the teams in Europe, they also invested a lot of money in some players, so I would say we are probably one of the best in Europe, but not the only one.

'We will have some good competition, and it will be nice to see that.'