Lucy Bronze and Niamh Charles will return to Chelsea’s matchday squad to face Tottenham Hotspur this weekend, while Sam Kerr has been called up to the Australia squad for the first time since 2023 after recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
Kerr, who missed the entirety of 2024-25, will be involved in the Australia camp for the friendlies against Wales and England later this month, having featured five times at club level this season.
Bronze, 33, has not featured this season after returning injured from England’s European Championship win. The defender revealed after the final against Spain that she had played the full tournament with a fractured tibia, and also injured her knee.
“She brings a lot of energy into the team,” manager Sonia Bompastor said of Bronze. “I think I never had someone in my squad with her mentality. She’s really tough and I think it’s good to have these leaders back in the group.”
Fellow defender Charles, who scored a penalty in England’s shootout final victory, will also be available on Sunday after recovering from an ankle injury sustained against Aston Villa on September 14.
Forward Lauren James and centre-back Naomi Girma, who have not featured for Chelsea yet this season, both remain sidelined.
“They still need a few weeks before they will be available,” Bompastor said. “I think we could see them after the international break.”
It means James appears set to miss England’s friendlies against Brazil and Australia on October 25 and 28.
Chelsea’s match against Tottenham follows their 1-1 draw with FC Twente in the Champions League on Wednesday, which marked the first time the Blues have failed to win consecutive games since Bompastor took charge ahead of 2024-25. The previous Friday, they dropped points in the Women’s Super League for the first time this season with a 1-1 draw at Manchester United.
“We were dominant, we controlled the game,” Bompastor said, reflecting on the midweek result. “In possession especially, I think we just need to show more desire. The desire to go with intent in the box, the desire to be the first contact in the box, the desire to score goals.
“In our game model, the mentality is the foundation, the base, and I think we need to go back to that.”
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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