Chelsea are gearing up for a frosty challenge and an unconventional kick-off time as they travel to face Astana in the Europa Conference League on Thursday night. The Blues have been dominant in the competition so far, winning all four of their league-phase matches and securing a strong position to advance to the knockout rounds as winners.
However, their penultimate league phase clash presents a unique set of obstacles for Enzo Maresca’s squad and their travelling supporters. The daunting trip to Kazakhstan involves an eight-hour flight, followed by a match played in the harsh grip of winter against underdog side, Astana.
The match is set to kick off at 8:30 pm local time, which translates to 3:30pm in the UK—a time when many Chelsea fans will still be at work. However, there’s a method to the madness, and this scheduling quirk could ultimately benefit Chelsea, one of Liverpool’s closest challengers at the top of the Premier League, in the long run.
Why Chelsea's Match Against Astana Kicks Off So Early
The peculiar kick-off time has its benefits for the Blues
enzo maresca chelse manager
Given the early kick-off slot, the overruling benefit to the timing is that Chelsea can treat their penultimate league phase game more like an early afternoon fixture without needing to adapt to the new timezone. To simplify travel logistics, UEFA has also granted Chelsea permission to conduct their pre-match press conference and final training session at Cobham instead of making the trip to Kazakhstan early.
Another key factor behind the early kick-off time is the weather, with temperatures expected to plummet to a bone-chilling -11°C on Thursday. The Kazakh Premier League runs from spring through late autumn, concluding in November to accommodate the region's harsh winter climate.
While Maresca has famously had two completely different lineups for cup competitions compared to league commitments since his arrival to west London over the summer, the Italian has hinted he might make even more changes to his squad to tackle the adverse conditions.
"Some of them will be here, and some of them will fly with us. More or less, we try to manage in the same way we have done before today," he explained.
"We have many young players, 17 players with us, and the rest will be here with us. Eight hours is not a normal time for a game, you know, but we have to go there, we have to play, try our best, and thinking also about the next game."
The Italian also revealed that Noni Madueke will remain behind, while young talent Josh Acheampong is set to make his first start for the club. "He's in the squad, and probably he's going to play from the start," he added.