Chelsea will be boosted by the return of Fran Kirby when they host Albanian side Vllaznia in the Champions League tonight.
The Lionesses star has missed three games due to illness but is fit again as Chelsea bid to build more momentum in Europe after winning 1-0 at Paris Saint-German last week.
Kirby scored three goals in as many matches before her illness, and Chelsea general manager Paul Green, leading the team alongside Denise Reddy while Emma Hayes recovers from emergency surgery, hopes the forward can pick up where she left off.
“Fran is a quality player and to have her back is fantastic,” he said. “It gives everybody a boost. She has had a great start to this season. She was obviously out with illness but we are delighted she is now available. We look forward to her hopefully staying healthy for the whole season.”
After losing 2-1 to Liverpool on the opening day of the WSL season, Chelsea have recorded five straight wins, and captain Magdalena Eriksson says they want to “go all the way” in the Champions League.
The Blues reached the final in 2020-21 but disappointingly failed to progress beyond the group stage last season.
Eriksson said: “We learned [in 2021] we have it in us to go all the way. That brings big confidence to the group, knowing we can do it, and we definitely have the quality in the squad.
“Last year, we got to understand the difficulty of the group stages, where there are six games and you have a heavy schedule. I am just really pleased we got off to a good start this year.”
