Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor has delivered mixed team news ahead of Sunday’s Women’s FA Cup fifth-round showdown with Manchester United, confirming captain Millie Bright will miss out, while defender Kadeisha Buchanan edges closer to a long-awaited return.
Bright was absent from Chelsea’s 2-0 Women’s Super League victory over Liverpool after picking up a contact injury late in the win against Tottenham the previous week.
Although the issue is not considered serious, the Blues skipper has not recovered in time for this weekend’s cup fixture.
Bompastor provided clarity on the defender’s situation as Chelsea prepare to switch focus from league momentum to knockout football.
“As you know, Millie got a knock to her ankle in the Tottenham game,” said the Blues head coach. “She didn’t recover enough to be involved in this game, so we are assessing her every week and making sure she gets back as quickly as possible. For sure, it will be after the international break now.
“It’s difficult for me now to put a time frame on her return, but we’ll have the international break to keep continuing assessing her.”
While Bright’s absence is undoubtedly a setback heading into a high-stakes clash, Chelsea have been handed a timely lift elsewhere in the squad.
Bompastor confirmed that aside from their captain, the rest of the group came through the Liverpool win without issue, maintaining both rhythm and depth ahead of facing Manchester United.
More significantly, Buchanan is set to rejoin the matchday squad after months on the sidelines following an ACL injury suffered in November 2024.
The Canadian international has been steadily building her fitness and confidence behind the scenes.
“Except for Millie we have everyone available and it will be the same squad for the Liverpool game.
“We will probably have Kadeisha Buchanan back in the squad for the weekend as well, which is great news. She’s been training fully with us for many weeks now. Yesterday was the first opportunity for her to get some minutes with the Under-18 side.”
She continued: “It was great mentally for her to be involved in that game. Keish is in a good place right now, she’s feeling confident. I think it’s exciting for her be in the squad for the weekend game because she’s been injured for quite a long time.
“I think it’s one of those where you know the player is really excited and confident to be back with the squad, but there will be a certain amount of time before she gets back to this level.
“So it depends on how many minutes she can get with us. We already have a plan during the international break for her to keep getting training sessions with the boys at the academy and also some individual training sessions.
“And the plan is for her to keep evolving, to make sure she’s in the best place possible for the upcoming games.”
As Chelsea gear up for cup competition intensity, the narrative is clear: a captain sidelined for now, but a defensive reinforcement returning to strengthen the run-in.With silverware ambitions firmly alive, squad depth could prove decisive in the weeks ahead.
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