Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has expressed concerns over the intense travel schedule his team faces ahead of their upcoming matches. The Blues are set to embark on a grueling 16-hour journey to Kazakhstan for their Conference League fixture against Astana on Thursday, before returning to London early on Friday morning in time to prepare for their Premier League clash with Brentford on Sunday.
Chelsea’s trip to Almaty involves an eight-hour flight each way, covering a distance of 3,700 miles (6,000 km). They will hold the match in the southern city of Almaty due to renovations at Astana’s home stadium in the Kazakh capital, 600 miles away. The extended flight time is a result of avoiding conflict zones in Ukraine, Russia, and Syria, while the Blues will also face freezing temperatures as low as -11°C during their brief 18-hour stay in Kazakhstan.
“It’s not normal to travel eight hours one way for a game,” Maresca said. “But we have to go, we have to play, and we want to do our best, while also thinking about the next game.”
Despite the demanding schedule, Chelsea, currently second in the Premier League, will return to London early on Friday morning, with a match against Brentford scheduled for Sunday at 19:00 GMT. The Blues are four points behind Liverpool at the top of the league and will need to adapt quickly to the time difference and physical demands.
The club will remain on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) during their stay in Kazakhstan, which is five hours ahead, and Maresca confirmed that several first-team players would be rested for the trip, including England winger Noni Madueke. Portugal’s Pedro Neto, who will miss the Brentford match due to suspension, is also part of the traveling squad.
Several youth players, including Ato Ampah, Shumaira Mheuka, and Harrison McMahon, will join the team for the trip, and the coach expects 18-year-old defender Josh Acheampong to start the match on Thursday. Acheampong is also nearing a new contract with the club.
Players who are not traveling, including star forward Cole Palmer, injured duo Romeo Lavia and Wesley Fofana, and the exiled Ben Chilwell, have not registered for UEFA’s third-tier competition. Maresca emphasized that those not involved in the Astana match would train in preparation for the Premier League fixture, even though he is unlikely to call them into action on Sunday.
“The players not involved tomorrow will train, and they need to train well,” said Maresca. “You never know, we might need one of them on Sunday. Ideally, we prefer not to. We’ll land at 6am on Friday, and it’s not normal for them to play again on Sunday, but if we need them, they will make the effort.”
Axel Disasi, one of the confirmed starters for Thursday’s match, commented on the cold weather: “We just have to put on two pairs of gloves and be ready to compete in these conditions.”
In response to Chelsea’s tough travel schedule, the Premier League has granted the club a later kick-off time for their match against Brentford, which will now take place at 19:00 GMT on Sunday, to allow them time to recover from the taxing trip.
Chelsea will be hoping to secure a strong result in both the Conference League and Premier League, as they balance their commitment to maintaining first place in their group with the demands of domestic competition.
Leave a Reply