Astana vs Chelsea – LIVE!
Chelsea must adapt to unusual circumstances as they take on Astana in the Conference League this afternoon. The Blues have made the eight-hour flight to Kazakhstan and will play in temperatures that are expected to drop below minus-ten degrees, with the time difference making it a strangely early kick-off time for fans back home.
Enzo Maresca’s side have been too good for this competition so far, winning all four matches and scoring 18 goals in the process. A top-eight finish, one that will secure a place in the last-16, feels close to wrapped up already, with a home clash against Shamrock Rovers to come.
Chelsea have left many of their first-team stars in London, with a dozen academy prospects brought in to bolster the squad. Josh Acheampong is expected to make his full debut, with a contract stand-off now over, while Michael Olise’s brother Richard could also be involved. Follow all the action with Standard Sport’s LIVE blog below!
Astana vs Chelsea latest news
Good afternoon!
13:01 , Matt Verri
Hello and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of Astana vs Chelsea!
Just the eight-hour flight for the Blues to Kazakhstan, and they will have to cope with temperatures dropping below minus-ten degrees. Lovely.
We’ll have all the latest updates, build-up and team news ahead of kick-off, which comes at 3:30pm GMT from the Almaty Central Stadium.