Chelsea face minnows Qarabag next up in the Champions League on Wednesday night.placeholder image
Chelsea face minnows Qarabag next up in the Champions League on Wednesday night. | Getty Images
The distance between Chelsea and Qarabag, as the Blues prepare for a long midweek Champions League trip
Chelsea return to Champions League action on Wednesday night, as Enzo Maresca’s side travel to Azerbaijan to face Qarabag in what looks set to be a long and gruelling trip for the Premier League giants.
The two sides come into the fixture level on points with six apiece, in what may be somewhat of a surprise considering the disparity in size and profile of the two clubs. Qarabag recorded a historic first-ever Champions League victory away at Benfica on the opening matchday, before securing back-to-back wins with a 2-0 home victory over Copenhagen. Away defeat at Athletic Club will have done little to dampen their spirits ahead of the visit of the Blues.
How far away is Qarabag from Chelsea?
The distance between Stamford Bridge to Qarabag’s Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium in Baku is recorded as a massive 2,536 miles (4,082 kilometres). Direct flights from London to Baku take between five to six hours, plus another up to an hour by bus or car to reach the stadium.
The time difference between London and Baku is currently four hours. The city uses Azerbaijan Time, which is four hours ahead of London’s Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). The match on Wednesday evening is scheduled to take place at 17:45 GMT, meaning it will be 21:45 AZT (local time) when the match kicks off in Baku.
Chelsea have a history against Qarabag
This will not be the first time Chelsea have faced Qarabag, as the two sides were drawn in group C in 2017/18 on the Azerbaijani club’s debut in the Champions League.
The Blues struck 10 goals past their opponents without response across two encounters, winning 6-0 at Stamford Bridge before winning 4-0 away from home. Eden Hazard, Willian (twice) and Cesc Fabregas struck last time the Blues travelled to face Qarabag in their home country.
Chelsea would then return to Baku in 2019 for the Europa League final, as the Blues defeated Arsenal 4-1 to get their hands on the trophy. Hazard struck twice that day, on what would be his final game for Chelsea before his ultimately disappointing move to Real Madrid.
Maresca’s outfit will arrive in Baku in high spirits as they return to a city which has served them well in European competition thus far. But they would be naive to underestimate their opponents, who have already shown a distinct improvement since the two sides’ last meeting. Either club would secure their third win of the league phase with victory, therefore taking a huge step towards qualification for the knock-out rounds of the competition.
Continue Reading