Chelsea have been handed an injury blow ahead of their Women's Champions League clash against St Polten as first-choice goalkeeper Hannah Hampton has been ruled out of the match due to injury. Swiss international Livia Peng is set to take Hampton's place in the starting XI for the match in Austria as Sonia Bompastor's side aim to maintain their unbeaten start to the league phase.
Chelsea lose Hampton to injury
Bompastor has confirmed that Hampton has been sidelined with a minor quad injury and will undergo further tests to determine the severity of the problem. Hampton has therefore been left out of Chelsea's 22-strong travelling squad for the game in Austria. Peng and Becky Spencer are the two goalkeepers named in the travelling party for the Blues, while Lauren James and Naomi Girma are also involved again after recovering from injury. Here's the squad in full:
Goalkeepers: Livia Peng, Becky Spencer
Defenders: Sandy Baltimore, Nathalie Bjorn, Millie Bright, Lucy Bronze, Veerle Buurman, Ellie Carpenter, Niamh Charles, Naomi Girma.
Midfielders: Erin Cuthbert, Oriane Jean-Francois, Maika Hamano, Wieke Kaptein, Sjoeke Nusken, Lexi Potter, Keira Walsh.
Forwards: Lauren James, Sam Kerr, Catarina Macario, Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, Alyssa Thompson.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportBlues aiming for back-to-back European wins
Chelsea will be hoping to make it back-to-back wins in the Champions League campaign after opening up their campaign with a 1-1 draw away at FC Twente, followed by a 4-0 win over Paris FC. The Blues will be hot favourites for victory against St. Polten but will have to make at least one change to their starting XI with Peng coming in to replace Hampton. Peng moved to Chelsea in the summer from Bundesliga side Werder Bremen, after featuring for Switzerland at Euro 2025, and made her debut for her new club in the draw at Twente. That Champions League outing is her only appearance so far this season but she will surely be relishing the chance to take over from Hampton again on Tuesday night at the NV Arena.
Peng living the dream at Chelsea
Peng admitted that moving to Chelsea was a dream after putting pen to paper on a four-year contract in the summer. She told the club's media: "It feels so good to be here. When I was 10, I dreamed of playing for Chelsea. Now, my childhood dream has come true and it's so exciting. I'm really happy to join the Chelsea family and get started. It's such a big club. Chelsea want to win titles and so do I. We're a good match. I'm hungry to win here."
Chelsea complete a domestic treble (WSL, FA Cup, League Cup) last season without losing a game and will be hoping for more silverware in 2025-26. The Blues have made a strong start to their Women's Champions League campaign and sit in second place in the Women's Super League table, just one point behind current leaders Manchester City after eight games played.
"I think we are still early on in the season and I'm not worried about where we stand right now in the table," Bompastor has said of her team's start. "We always want to be the leaders and leading this league but the most important thing for us is to be leading the race at the end of the season. I trust my squad – the quality I have in the squad to be able to do that. Not the result we wanted to have coming into the game, but we are still in control and I am quite confident."
AFPBig win on the cards for Chelsea?
Chelsea head into the match off the back of a controversial draw with Arsenal which extended their unbeaten run in the WSL to 33 games. The Blues now switch focus to continental competition and will be hoping to win a maiden European crown in 2025-26. Bompastor's side will certainly be expected to make light work of St. Polten. The Austrian side have conceded nine goals in their two Champions League outings so far, and anything but an away win will be a big surprise.