Häcken v Chelsea preview: Bompastor’s unbeaten side visit the Swedish champions without Lauren James
Häcken v Chelsea preview: Sonia Bompastor's side, unbeaten in the Women's Champions League, travel to Gothenburg to face newly crowned Swedish champions Häcken on Tuesday evening.
Häcken v Chelsea is a clash of champions in Gothenburg on Tuesday, as Sonia Bompastor’s unbeaten side look to tighten their grip on a top-four place in the Women’s Champions League.
Kick-off at the Nordic Wellness Arena is 17:45 UK time. Chelsea sit fourth in the league phase with seven points from three games. Häcken, freshly crowned Swedish champions, are 16th with a single point and badly need a first win.
Häcken v Chelsea: how they got here
Chelsea have yet to concede in Europe this season. They opened with a 1-0 win over Austria Wien, held Lyon to a goalless draw and then saw off Roma 2-0. A point away to one of the competition’s heavyweights stands out.
Häcken have found the step up harder. They lost 1-0 to Inter and 3-0 to Juventus before picking up their first point in a 1-1 draw with Paris FC.
At home, though, Elena Sadiku’s side have been relentless. They wrapped up the 2026 Damallsvenskan title with a 4-1 win over Hammarby and drew 1-1 with Djurgården on Friday, stretching their unbeaten league run to 18 matches.
Chelsea form and the WSL title race
Chelsea arrive slightly bruised after a 1-1 draw with Everton in the Women’s Super League on Saturday. That ended a run of seven straight league wins and left them two points behind leaders Manchester City, who have kept pace after their narrow win at Charlton earlier in the season.
The WSL race is tight at the top, and the chasing pack is improving too, as Manchester United’s win over Liverpool showed. A strong night in Sweden would give Bompastor’s squad a lift before the international break.
Team news
Chelsea are without Lauren James, who has a hamstring problem and is not expected back until after the international break, according to pre-match reports. Mayra Ramírez is also missing, and Naomi Girma has not played since August because of a calf injury. Lexi Potter is reported to be fit again.
Häcken are reportedly without Elin Rubensson and Helena Sampaio, while striker Anna Anvegård is a doubt.
Head-to-head
The sides met in the 2023-24 group stage. It finished goalless at Stamford Bridge, before Chelsea won 3-1 in Gothenburg with Erin Cuthbert scoring twice. Chelsea have never lost to a Swedish club in this competition.
| Häcken | Chelsea | |
|---|---|---|
| UWCL position | 16th | 4th |
| UWCL points | 1 | 7 |
| UWCL goals for-against | 1-5 | 3-0 |
| Last league result | D 1-1 v Djurgården | D 1-1 v Everton |
| Head coach | Elena Sadiku | Sonia Bompastor |
What is at stake
A win would put Chelsea on ten points and strengthen their hold on a top-four spot with two league-phase rounds left. For Häcken, anything less than a positive result leaves them fighting simply to stay in contention for the knockout play-offs.
The women’s game keeps growing off the pitch as well, from fixture congestion rows such as European Leagues’ complaint over FIFA’s women’s international calendar to emerging talent elsewhere. Our sister site DGBN has covered Nigeria’s Flamingos reaching the U-17 Women’s World Cup semi-finals.
