Soccer Football - Europa Conference League - Chelsea Training - Cobham Training Centre, Cobham, Britain - December 11, 2024 Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca during training Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs
(Reuters) - Chelsea's impressive form will be severely tested by two eight-hour flights and temperatures well below freezing for their UEFA Conference League clash against Kazakhstan's Astana, manager Enzo Maresca said on Wednesday.
Chelsea are second in the Premier League and being tipped as serious title contenders ahead of their weekend clash with London rivals Brentford.
Before they can focus on that derby, however, they must travel to the fringes of Asia, a trip made even longer because Astana's home games have been moved 600 miles from the capital to Almaty because of stadium renovations.
The flight is also re-directed away from the conflict zone in Ukraine and Russia.
"Eight hours (one way) is not a normal time (to travel) for a game, but we have to go there, we have to play and we want to try to do our best, thinking also about the next game," Maresca told reporters.
Chelsea are top of the Conference League table with four wins from four and Maresca has opted to leave several players at home including England winger Noni Madueke and Cole Palmer is not even registered for the third-tier competition.
Youth players Ato Ampah, Shumaira Mheuka, Harrison McMahon, Kaiden Wilson, Richard Olise and Harrison Murray-Campbell are all in the squad while 18-year-old Josh Acheampong is a confirmed starter on Thursday.
"You never know whether we might need one of the guys who play tomorrow on Sunday. Ideally we prefer not. We are going to land at 6am on Friday and it's not normal for one of them to play again on Sunday," Maresca said. "But if we need them, they are going to make the effort."
One player who will start is France international defender Axel Disasi.
"I will just have to put on my gloves and be ready to compete," he said.
"It is an eight-hour flight and minus 11 so I will be putting on some movies on the plane, be ready and put on two pairs of gloves so I am ready because at the end, we know this is a European game and we have to fight to keep first place."
Chelsea's match against Brentford will kick off at 1900GMT on Sunday to give them more time to prepare.
(Reporting by Martyn Herman, editing by Ed Osmond)
