Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor has issued an injury update on Lauren James ahead of her side’s Women’s Super League (WSL) clash against Liverpool on Sunday.
The London club have won all of their opening five league matches so far against Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, Arsenal, Tottenham and Everton. They currently sit second in the standings just a point behind Manchester City having played a game less than their title rivals.
Last season, Chelsea won their home fixture against Liverpool but were narrowly beaten 4-3 away at the end of the campaign. After securing a top four finish last term, the Merseyside club are currently sixth in the table with two wins from six games.
Bompastor provided an injury update when she addressed the media in a pre-match press conference on Thursday, and while two players are closing in on a return to fitness, James is still a number of weeks away.
“At the moment we only have Lauren James who is still injured,” the manager said. “I think I already said it will be difficult to give a date for her return, or a right date.
“She won’t be back before the next international break, for sure. Otherwise, it’s really good team news as Lucy [Bronze] and Catarina [Macario] are back in the squad and will be available for the game against Liverpool.”
James withdrew from the England squad ahead of the last international break and missed the games against Germany and South Africa. The 23-year-old sustained a calf injury prior to Chelsea’s Champions League triumph over FC Twente last month.
The attacker had featured in four of the team’s opening five fixtures across all competitions, and scored a goal in the victory over Crystal Palace back in September. Last season, James scored 16 goals and registered three assists across all competitions for the team.
The next international break will take between November 25 and December 3 with England set to face the USA and Switzerland. Given James is not expected to return until early December, she will miss two Champions League matches against Celtic, as well as top of the table WSL clashes against Manchester City and Manchester United.
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