Our Chelsea Women predicted XI vs Lyon backs Lexi Potter to retain her place alongside Keira Walsh, with Sonia Bompastor expected to trust the team that beat Arsenal.
Potter earned her first senior England call-up on Tuesday. Another European start would continue an impressive September for the academy graduate.
Chelsea visit Bompastor’s former club on Wednesday evening, with our Lyon vs Chelsea Women viewing guide covering the 8pm BST kick-off and broadcast details.
The short turnaround creates an opportunity to rotate. Our prediction, however, favours continuity after Sunday’s demanding derby victory.
Chelsea Women predicted XI vs Lyon
Predicted formation: 4-2-3-1
Hampton; Carpenter, Bronze, Buchanan, McCabe; Walsh, Potter; James, Kaptein, Thompson; Malard.
That would mean an unchanged starting XI from the Arsenal game, with Naomi Girma and Nathalie Björn among the defensive alternatives.
This is ReadChelsea’s prediction, based on Tuesday’s squad announcement and the latest match evidence. Bompastor’s confirmed selection will follow before kick-off.
James and Walsh included in travelling squad
Chelsea’s official 24-player travelling squad includes both Lauren James and Walsh, who started against Arsenal after fitness concerns before that match.
Both feature in our selection.
Erin Cuthbert, Mayra Ramírez and Manaka Matsukubo are absent from the published travelling party. Potter, Wieke Kaptein and Sjoeke Nüsken therefore remain particularly important midfield options.
Aggie Beever-Jones also travels, giving Bompastor an alternative to Melvine Malard through the middle.
Squad inclusion alone does not establish how many minutes each player can manage, so workload remains part of the selection equation.
Girma offers Bompastor a defensive alternative
Hannah Hampton gets our vote in goal after helping Chelsea protect their lead against Arsenal.
We also retain Ellie Carpenter and Katie McCabe at full-back, with Lucy Bronze partnering Kadeisha Buchanan centrally.
Girma and Björn were unused substitutes on Sunday, as Chelsea’s official Arsenal match report confirms. Either could offer fresh legs if Bompastor changes her defence.
Our preference is to keep the existing partnership for this fixture. The centre-backs and midfield will need clear communication over who follows runners and who protects the space behind.
There is also a decision for the full-backs: Chelsea should avoid committing both forward without sufficient cover against such dangerous opposition.
Potter and Walsh can provide the midfield platform
ReadChelsea covered Potter’s first England call-up on Tuesday, but her case for another Chelsea start rests on her club performances.
Keeping Potter alongside Walsh would preserve the central pairing selected against Arsenal, with Kaptein operating further forward in our projected shape.
That arrangement should give Walsh a nearby passing option when Chelsea build from defence. Potter would also have an important supporting role when possession changes hands.
Kaptein’s positioning could then help connect midfield with Malard while allowing James and Alyssa Thompson to attack from wider areas.
The key is distance between those players. If the front four become detached, Walsh and Potter could face too much ground to cover.
Thompson and Malard retain their attacking places
Thompson’s decisive contribution against Arsenal strengthens her claim to remain in the side, with James offering another route into the penalty area.
Malard gets our nod at centre-forward.
Our attacking plan would ask her to provide an outlet when Chelsea regain possession, with Thompson threatening the space beyond and James available to receive closer to midfield.
Chelsea must also give Lyon reasons to defend.
As UEFA’s match preview details, the French side opened their league-phase campaign with an 8-0 victory over Servette, including a Marie-Antoinette Katoto hat-trick.
Sitting deep for long periods would invite sustained pressure. Retaining three attacking outlets should give Chelsea a better chance of moving the contest away from their own box.
Nüsken, Sandy Baltimore and Beever-Jones would provide different options from the bench if Chelsea need to change the game.
