Chelsea FC

That is the same number of alterations our head coach made for our 3-1 victory against Twente in the Netherlands on Thursday night.

Today, Hannah Hampton returns in goal, and ahead of her Lucy Bronze and captain Millie Bright come back in.

Central midfield contains Erin Cuthbert and Sjoeke Nusken, with Wieke Kaptein and Oriane Jean-Francois making way.

Guro Reiten, who scored her 50th Chelsea goal in midweek off the bench, is selected alongside Mayra Ramirez and Maika Hamano in attack. Hamano keeps her place after her stunning goal on Thursday. The other players to retain their spot in the side are Kadeisha Buchanan, Johanna Rytting Kaneryd and Sandy Baltimore.

Lauren James sustained a calf injury during the warm-up in Twente and is not involved. She has withdrawn from the England squad.

Chelsea: Hampton, Bronze, Buchanan, Bright (c), Rytting Kaneryd, Cuthbert, Nusken, Baltimore, Hamano, Reiten, Ramirez

After beating Arsenal 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium last Saturday, it is a second London derby in as many weeks for the Blues, as we welcome Spurs to Kingston for a maiden meeting of the two sides in the Women’s Super League this season.

When and where

We take on Tottenham at Kingsmeadow on Sunday 20 October with kick-off scheduled for 6.45pm.

You can buy your tickets for this weekend's match against Spurs here!

How to follow

As always, you can follow via the match centre on the official Chelsea website and official app, and through Chelsea Women’s social media channels with match commentary posted on X and regular updates available on Facebook and Instagram.

The match will be shown live on Sky Sports for those watching in the UK.

The form

The Blues host Spurs with a 100 per cent record thus far in the WSL this season.

Three wins from three – against Arsenal, Crystal Palace, and Aston Villa, have Sonia Bompastor’s side sitting second in the table with nine points from a possible nine. Ten goals have been scored by the Blues, with only one conceded.

A fourth consecutive league victory would see our head coach become only the third manager to win their opening four WSL matches.

We return to league duty days after a maiden away clash in the UEFA Women’s Champions League this season, where Bompastor's side beat FC Twente 3-1 in the Netherlands. The Blues had kicked off our European campaign with a 3-2 win over Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge.

Spurs have played four games in the WSL this season and have claimed four points, with one win and one draw. They currently sit seventh in the league standings.

Robert Vilahamn’s side beat Crystal Palace 4-0 on the opening day of the season, before drawing 2-2 with Aston Villa in their next match. They have since lost back-to-back matches against Liverpool and Manchester United.

Our opponents have played one group stage match in the League Cup, beating Championship side Charlton Athletic 2-1 at The Valley.

Recent head-to-head

Chelsea have won all nine WSL clashes against Spurs since their promotion to the top-flight ahead of the 2019/20 season. With an aggregate score of 21-5 in our favour, it is the only fixture between two London clubs where a team has a 100 per cent record against the other.

We hosted Tottenham at Stamford Bridge on the opening day of last term, prevailing with a 2-1 win thanks to a debut Chelsea goal from Mia Fishel and a Lauren James strike.

The home match will take place on Sunday 20 October, with kick-off now scheduled for 6.45pm, and will be shown live on Sky Sports in the UK.

It will be the first meeting of the two sides in the new season. We last played Spurs in the penultimate fixture of our title-winning campaign when a Maika Hamano goal secured a 1-0 win at Brisbane Road.

Filipe Coelho's side put up a strong performance at Kingsmeadow on Friday evening as we welcomed London rivals Tottenham Hotspur to our home turf. Despite creating more chances, the evening didn't go our way, with the match ending 2-1 in Tottenham's favour.

We started strong, with a fine goal from Ato Ampah putting us ahead after some early chances for Shumaira Mhueka. However, Tottenham quickly responded with an equaliser through Tyrese Hall, who slotted in another just after the interval to snatch the lead.

Lively Start

Chelsea began our league opener with high energy, applying immediate pressure and pressing up the pitch. Within minutes of kick-off, Leo Castledine linked up well with Tyrique George, who whipped in a cross which drifted inches wide of the post without anyone getting a touch.

Another opportunity soon followed when Ampah drove up the pitch and picked out first-year scholar Mheuka inside the box. Despite Mheuka's best efforts to get past the Spurs defender, he was unable to find the back of the net from a tight angle.

Josh Acheampong soon got involved, weaving his way up the pitch before sending a looping pass to George on the wing. George forced the Spurs keeper into the first save of the evening, with Josh Keeley doing well to push the ball over the crossbar and out of danger.

With the momentum building, Chelsea didn’t have to wait long for their opener and it was well deserved. Ishe Samuels-Smith delivered an accurate ball to Ampah, who beat his marker and slotted the ball into the bottom corner, leaving the Spurs keeper with no chance to save.

Pinned back

Despite Chelsea's dominance, Spurs continued to put up a fight and eventually were rewarded with an equaliser. The goal stemmed from a short corner taken by Damola Ajayi, who found Hall on the edge of the box. Hall fired at goal and with a deflection off a Chelsea defender, the ball managed to beat Max Merrick in goal, bringing the game back to level terms.

Spurs soon had another chance when Jude Soonsup-Bell connected with a header from Hall’s floating corner, but the attempt skimmed past the post, giving the Blues a lucky escape from falling behind.

Chelsea remained unfazed, though. We saw some excellent Blues link-up play as Kiano Dyer used his speed to dribble upfield and send a ball to Ampah, who then crossed into the area towards 16-year-old Mheuka. Unfortunately, the Spurs keeper did well to protect his net.

Just before half-time, there was some impressive defensive work from Harrison Murray-Campbell. Spurs had a threatening spell, with Soonsup-Bell firing a shot on target that looked like it was heading for the goal, but the Chelsea defender made a crucial goal-line block, sending the two sides into half-time level.

Back out to battle

Tottenham came out with renewed intensity after the break. Ajayi sprinted into the box and laid off a perfect pass to Hall, who took one touch and rifled it into the back of the net from close range, beating the Chelsea keeper.

The Blues reacted, and it was summer signing Omari Kellyman who had the best opportunity. Mheuka drove forward with purpose, delivering an accurate pass to Kellyman just outside the area. The attacking midfielder unleashed a powerful strike, but it lifted just over the crossbar.

Not long after, Kellyman had another chance, firing a shot from distance that narrowly missed the far post. Just after, Merrick was forced into a sharp save, reacting quickly to block Ajayi's stinging effort on target.

Fighting until the end

Chelsea came agonisingly close to levelling the score when Harrison McMahon launched an impressive long ball down the pitch to Mheuka. Despite shrugging off his defender, Mheuka’s shot drifted just wide of the target.

With just five minutes left on the clock, we nearly found the back of the net through Filipe Coelho’s substitutes. Ronnie Stutter used the wing well and delivered a cross near the far post for Jimmy-Jay Morgan, but his effort found the side-netting, denying us the goal. The score remained 2-1 in favour of the visitors at the final whistle.

What's next

Chelsea will be back in Premier League 2 action next Friday evening at Kingsmeadow, when we will welcome Everton for a 7pm kick-off. You can secure your tickets here.

The teams

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Max Merrick; Josh Acheampong (Brodi Hughes 71), Harrison Murray-Campbell, Travis Akomeah, Ishe Samuels-Smith; Harrison McMahon, Kiano Dyer (Ollie Harrison 84); Ato Ampah (Ronnie Stutter 60), Leo Castledine (c), Tyrique George (Jimmy-Jay Morgan 71); Shumaira Mheuka

Scorer: Ampah 11

Booked: Kellyman 50, Dyer 65, Samuels-Smith 78

Ato Ampah, who has been with Chelsea since joining the club from grassroots football at Under-11s level, is focused on the match ahead, as he sees it as a chance to prove his capabilities both to the audience and to himself. That first opportunity to show what he can do at this level is a big one, too, as we host reigning Premier League champions Tottenham in a home derby at Kingsmeadow, with tickets still available to cheer on the young Blues.

Following the 18-year-old's success in the 2023/24 season, where he helped lift the Under-18 Premier League South trophy under Hassan Sulaiman, Ampah has moved up the age groups and is now working under newly appointed Under-21s head coach Filipe Coelho.

After a successful pre-season, which included a summer training camp in Portugal and matches against sides from League One and League Two, the winger believes he is ready for the new season to begin and eager to take this opportunity.

'I'm looking forward to the challenges,' Ampah began. 'Everyone in the squad is in the right place mentally and physically for the league to start, thanks to pre-season. We are all ready for the game and any obstacles that might come our way.

'During pre-season, I've played well, and I feel like my confidence has grown massively. Getting minutes in before the league starts is important as it reminds you of the competitive nature and how quick the play is.

'I always reflect on my performances, whether in training or games, as that’s how you develop and grow as a player. Having the opportunity and resources to do that makes me even more confident going into the Tottenham game, and confidence is key.

'I'm harsh on myself and my performances because you have to be if you want to be the best version of yourself. Identifying areas where you can improve or do things differently is how you progress and learn from your mistakes.

'I always want to achieve a lot and set high standards and expectations for myself. That mindset keeps me pushing for more and constantly improving my performance.

'As a player, I am very clinical and pay attention to every detail. I know what I'm capable of and what my top performance looks like. So, during this Tottenham game, I need to prove to myself that I can push those limits.'

Following the appointment of Coelho as head coach of the Under-21s over the summer, Ampah speaks highly of the Portuguese coach’s style. After getting to know Coelho over the weeks leading up to the season, the squad hopes that the performance against Spurs will reflect the lessons learned under his guidance.

'Filipe is an excellent coach. He has taken the time to get to know us on a personal level and understands our strengths and how we can utilise them even more throughout the games.

'He is getting us to play good football. He is giving everyone the chance to express themselves on the pitch in a collaborative and dominating way.

'I really enjoy playing under him, and I'm looking forward to what Friday night brings. Hopefully, it's the three points that we all deserve, including him.'

Focusing on our opponents, Tottenham, the 2023/24 Premier League 2 champions, Ampah acknowledges the talent within their squad. However, reflecting on Chelsea's ongoing work throughout pre-season, he is confident there is no reason the side can't secure all three points on home turf.

'Tottenham and Chelsea have a lot of history between them, I don't think we could have asked for a better opening game!

'Starting the season with such an intense match is a great test to see how we perform individually and how we work together as a team.

'Tottenham, having won the league, will come into this game with confidence. However, we have been training hard and working on our mentality as well, so it will be a close game.

'We have a strong team and I'm confident that if we play as we have been in training, we will dominate. We are not messing around.'

Get down to Kingsmeadow

Tickets are available here to watch Chelsea Under-21s in Premier League 2 action for the first time this season, priced £7 for adults and £5 for junior or senior supporters.

Filipe Coelho’s Chelsea Under-21s side is set to welcome Tottenham Hotspur to Kingsmeadow in the Premier League 2 on Friday evening for our opening game of the season, with tickets still available for the big home derby.

The last time these London rivals met, Spurs emerged victorious in the semi-finals of the Premier League 2 play-offs under former coach Mark Robinson at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Despite a goal from Deivid Washington, Spurs secured a narrow 2-1 win with efforts from Will Lankshear and Nile John, the winner coming in added time, then went on to eventually clinch the trophy by defeating Sunderland.

Looking ahead to this big first-day fixture, our Portuguese head coach is eager for his first competitive win since joining the club, as he shares his expectations for the players.

'It's been an impressive couple of weeks,' smiled Coelho. 'The players are receiving the advice and information well. It's not just about how we want to play, but about the mentality and the way we want to be.

'We want to play as a team, not just as individuals. That is important to me.

'I'm ready to serve Chelsea. The main objective is player development and how the players work together. The players will need to rely on their team-mates because football is a team sport. We have to work well together.

'We want to win trophies. We aim to win the Premier League 2 and all other competitions, that's why we're Chelsea.

'I know this is the first game and there might be some mistakes and challenges, but we will grow from them. It’s about how quickly we recover and learn. Our players need to have resilience.'

Although this will be the first time the players will be seen in competitive action since May, the team has had an extremely busy pre-season filled with friendly fixtures to prepare for Friday’s game.

We played a series of pre-season games against teams from League One and League Two, before our final fixture against Brentford B. In a confident and dominating performance, the side secured a convincing 5-1 victory.

In that fixture, a variety of players showcased the young squad's vast talent. First-year scholar Shumaira Mheuka scored twice, while Tyrique George and Ishe Samuels-Smith each added a goal. Jimmy-Jay Morgan then capped off the afternoon by converting a penalty.

'We are ready for Tottenham,' Coelho continued. 'During pre-season, we competed in friendly matches to get a feel of the competitive nature, which has prepared us.

'We faced difficulties throughout pre-season, but overcoming them has made us stronger. Champions must overcome challenges.

'Facing Tottenham, the current winners, is a great way to start the season. As I said, we are ready for the challenges.

'I want to see a bold and fierce team. We need to dominate and, when we lose the ball, we must be ready to react. We have trained hard and prepared for every possible situation.

'I'm sure we will put on a performance, we just need to put our all into it.'

Support the next generation

Our Under-21s are the first Chelsea side in competitive action in the 2024/25 season and tickets are available here to secure your seat for the game, priced £7 for adults and £5 for junior or senior supporters.