Chelsea Women return to European action tonight, welcoming Italian champions AS Roma to Plough Lane. The Blues are yet to taste defeat this season, although our performances in Europe have been rather less convincing than those in domestic competition.
Date / Time: Wednesday, October 28, 2026, 17:45 GMT; 1:45 pm EDT
Venue: Plough Lane, Wimbledon, UK
Forecast: Partly cloudy and light winds
Referee: Olatz Rivera Olmedo (ESP)
On TV: none (UK); none (US); elsewhere Streaming: Disney+ (UK); ESPN+, fuboTV,
Paramount+ (US)
Chelsea team news: The Blues needed a second-half turnaround to overcome Crystal Palace on Sunday, with Melvine Malard scoring twice and Sandy Baltimore adding a late penalty to secure a 3-1 victory. It was another three points despite a less-than-convincing performance, keeping us unbeaten in the WSL and top of the table on goal difference after Manchester City dropped points against Manchester United.
Head coach Sonia Bompastor has confirmed that Lauren James and Keira Walsh are available for selection after both missed Sunday’s victory over Palace. Captain Erin Cuthbert is also continuing her return to full fitness, having featured in our last two matches. Naomi Girma has resumed running after her calf injury but remains unavailable, while there has been no further update on Mayra Ramírez.
AS Roma team news: Gianpiero Piovani’s side have enjoyed a perfect start to their domestic campaign, winning all four of their Serie A matches so far, most recently beating AC Milan 4-2 and Juventus 5-2. However, their European performances have been far less convincing, with a goalless draw against OH Leuven followed by a humiliating 6-0 home defeat to Barcelona.
Roma made several significant additions over the summer, bringing in Martina Piemonte from Lazio, Kayleigh van Dooren from AC Milan and Maya Doms from Sassuolo. Meanwhile, Evelyne Viens departed for Paris FC and Emilie Haavi joined Como, while Giulia Dragoni ended her two-year loan spell at Roma before completing a permanent transfer from Barcelona to the Blues.
In terms of injuries, goalkeeper Olivie Lukášová has been ruled out after undergoing elbow surgery following an injury sustained against Fiorentina. Piovani has also acknowledged that some players are dealing with minor fitness concerns, although no other major absences have been confirmed ahead of tonight’s match.
Previously: Goals galore.
