Sam Kerr will not feature for Chelsea in their next two fixtures this week and head coach Sonia Bompastor has expressed uncertainty over the possibility of the striker to play again this season.
The 31-year-old was included in Chelsea’s squad for the Champions League knockout stage and was also part of Australia’s squad at the most recent international break.
Kerr is yet to play a single match for both club and country since she sustained an Anterior Cruciate Ligament tear in January 2024 and subsequently missed the second half of the Blues’ season in England and Australia’s run at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The no-contact injury has seen her miss over 50 games with no certainty of a return date with her recovery time taking longer than expected.
More Time on the Sidelines
Ahead of facing Crystal Palace in the Women’s Super League on Wednesday evening, Bompastor said: “I’m not in a position to give any timeframe on her return but she won’t be involved in the games this week.
“Sam is progressing in her rehab but I don’t have enough elements to say we will see her this season. Hopefully yes but it’s difficult for me to say.”
Chelsea host Barcelona in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final on Sunday, as they look to overturn a three-goal deficit following their 4-1 defeat in Spain. The English giants are currently at the top of the table in the Women Super League with a total of 51 points from 19 games.
Kerr looks to ‘hit the group chat running’
The former A-League Women’s star, who joined the Blues outfit in 2019 has helped her side lift numerous trophies, scoring 99 goals in 128 matches. She wants to do the same upon her return.”I would love to hit the ground running,” Kerr told the BBC last year.
“But I’m lucky, my first goal’s going to be my 100th goal. So I’m going to get that feeling and it’s going to be such an amazing moment, scoring 100 goals for Chelsea will be an amazing achievement for me.
“It’s nice for me coming back from an ACL injury that my first goal will be so special. So I’m excited.”
In the meantime, Chelsea can extend their lead at the top of the Women’s Super League to six points with a win over Palace.
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