COBHAM, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 11: Head Coach Enzo Maresca of Chelsea during the UEFA Conference League 2024/25 League Phase MD5 press conference at the Cobham Training Ground on December 11, 2024 in Cobham, England. (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
Enzo Maresca is set to rotate his side again for Chelsea’s trip to Astana (Getty)
Enzo Maresca has confirmed that Josh Acheampong is set to make his first start for Chelsea in their Conference League game against Astana on Thursday.
Acheampong has featured just once this season as a second-half substitute in the 5-0 win over Barrow in the Carabao Cup in September but was then frozen out of the first-team and academy sides for two months due to a standoff in negotiations over a new contract.
The 18-year-old made his return against Derby’s U21s in the Premier League 2 last month and has now trained with Chelsea’s first-team squad once again ahead of their visit to Kazakhstan on Thursday.
Maresca has revealed that an agreement between Chelsea and Acheampong is now ‘close’ and that the right-back is in line to start against Astana.
‘He’s in the squad,’ Maresca said on Wednesday.
‘And probably he’s going to play from the start.
‘With Josh it’s quite clear. We all love Josh. The club loves Josh. I love Josh. And we are trying to find an agreement with the players. We are close. We are almost there.’
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Maresca also confirmed that he is set to rotate his side ahead of their sixteen-hour round trip.
‘The general decision [over the squad] is already there but we will see,’ Maresca said.
‘Some of them will be here, some of them will fly with us. We try to manage in the same way we have done until today. We have many young players with us, the rest will be working.
‘The target since we started the season is to allow all of them, no matter the competition, to play 90 minutes every week.
‘Most of those who play tomorrow would have also played against Southampton last week. So we will try to keep them in the regular situation of playing 90 minutes every week. This is what we’re trying to do.’
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