The Hammers sit second from bottom in the table with just one win from their opening 11 matches, but just before Christmas, they parted ways with former boss Rehanne Skinner and appointed ex-Juventus and Inter Milan head coach Rita Guarino in her place.

That presents Sonia Bompastor with some unknown factors ahead of our first match in 2026, but the Blues head coach has discovered some workarounds.

‘I have never faced Rita before, so we’ve had a good look at what she was doing at her previous clubs,’ she said. ‘It’s important for us to prepare for the game in the best way possible, but it's a balance between looking at them and also focusing on ourselves.

‘We are playing at home. We know what our goals are, so we want to go into that game making sure we play at our best level and respecting the opposition because it's a London derby. They'll be coming with a lot of motivation. We never take anything for granted.

‘Coming into the game on Sunday, a lot of things could be different about West Ham, so it's more for us to know how they play when they are in possession of the ball, what shape they are, how they defend, and try to estimate a little bit what the manager is going to change from what they used to do. But also, I don't want that to affect the way we want to attack and defend too much.

‘It's always exciting to face a new manager, someone new who probably brings new ideas into the game. I’d like to welcome Rita to England and the WSL.’

Bompastor prepares for what is to come by breaking the season down into blocks, with the women’s international breaks separating each one. The next break will begin on 24 February, leaving the coach with plenty to think about in the next few weeks, having also spent the last week with her players preparing in Portugal.

Three out of four of the Blues' fixtures in January will be played at home, with West Ham and Crystal Palace coming to our Kingsmeadow home before Chelsea's trip to Manchester City for the League Cup semi-final is followed by Arsenal coming to Stamford Bridge in the WSL on Saturday 24 January.

‘I think in the next block, we have seven weeks and eight games to face,’ she continued. ‘I think that freshness will be important. We had really good momentum when we finished the last block with good results and good performances. In our meeting this morning (Friday), we said that we want to get back to that level.

‘Any time we play at home with the support of our fans, it’s important for us to be a strong team. Anyone who is travelling and coming to Kingsmeadow should feel that special atmosphere. For us, it gives us extra motivation to perform even better.

'We want to be strong no matter if we are playing home or away, but when we are home, I think it gives us an extra edge.’