Enzo Maresca has been putting his players through their paces in training ahead of Chelsea's next clash. FC Astana will host the Blues at the Almaty Ortalyk Stadion in Kazakhstan on Thursday afternoon for the penultimate clash of the Conference League 'league' phase.
Chelsea have won each of their four games in the competition and they sit at the top of the table. In fact, the West Londoners have already booked a place in the knockout stages after beating Heidenheim 2-0 last month.
As for Astana, they're hanging onto an unseeded knockout phase play-off place by the skin of their teeth, with only goal difference keeping their head above the water. So, with that being said, football.london have spotted five things in training that you might have missed as Chelsea geared up to face Astana.
Chelsea youngsters heavily involved
Speaking to reporters ahead of the Blues' clash againsy Astana, Maresca confirmed that he'll be handing out a few first-team debuts, with one of which going to Josh Acheampong. The Chelsea boss said: "More or less, we try to manage in the same way we have done before today. We have many young players, 17 players with us, and the rest will be here with us"
Maresca added: "How do you know the squad? I didn't say the squad [laughs]. He is in the squad, yes, and is probably going to play from the start. For Josh, it is quite clear: The club love Josh, I love Josh, and we are trying to find an agreement with the player. We are close, we are almost there, but we will see"
Numerous youngsters were heavily involved in training, eager to catch the manager's eye and earn a place in the starting lineup. Kaiden Wilson, Richard Olise, Harrison Murray-Campbell, Kiano Dyer, Samuel Rak-Sakyi, Tyrique George, Shumaira Mheuka and Ato Ampah were also spotted in action at Cobham.
Palmer and Cucurella get 'slapped'
Once all the players walked out onto the grass to begin training, they formed a 'tunnel' for Cole Palmer and Marc Cucurella. As they ran through, they were given slaps on the head and on the back.
Maresca deep in conversation with Neto
At one stage in training, Maresca was spotted deep in conversation with Pedro Neto. The Chelsea boss had his arm around the winger while gesturing, which could suggest that he's poised to start against Astana.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference, Maresca was quizzed on Neto's potential role in Thursday's tie. he said: "You want to know the first XI for tomorrow and Sunday [laughs]? We have a session at 10 o'clock and more or less, the general decision is already there but after the session we will see."
Mudryk absent again with illness
Mykhailo Mudryk was absent from training at Cobham. The 23-year-old winger wasn't involved in each of Chelsea's last two matches in the Premier League because of illness. He's showed great promise in the Conference League so far this term, scoring a superb goal against Heidenheim last time out.
Chelsea face registration dilemma
Chelsea have a difficult decision to make in the final hours before the clash. Harvey Vale, who was spotted training with the first-team on Wednesday, is not currently registered to play. However, the Blues have until midnight tonight to register any players – including the 21-year-old midfielder – on the B list.
Only players who were born after 1st January 1 2003 and have been at the club for at least two years are eligible to be added at late notice. Deivid Washington, who was also in training, cannot be registered.
football.london Chelsea WhatsApp channel
Chelsea flag prior the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Leg One match between Chelsea FC and Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge. (Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Want to keep up to date with the breaking and important Chelsea stories whilst on the move? Well now you can!
Click this link to follow the football.london Chelsea WhatsApp channel, where you'll be kept up to date on the latest Blues news wherever you are.
Just remember to turn on the notifications once you've followed, and you won't miss a beat!