Astana v Chelsea LIVE: Conference League staff information and line-ups with Blues starlet poised for full debut
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Chelsea travel to Kazakhstan in the Conference League to play Astana in a gruelling midweek trip.
The Blues have taken a young squad with many highly-rated talents set for a debut in the freezing conditions of Almaty.
Enzo Maresca will hope to maintain the good form following a thrilling comeback victory at Tottenham on Sunday, with Cole Palmer thriving, before turning attention back to league matters and a Sunday evening kick-off against Brentford.
Chelsea are top of the Conference League, level with Legia Warszawa, with just two games remaining against Astana and Shamrock Rovers back at Stamford Bridge on 19 December.
Follow all the latest build-up to the early kick-off in the Conference League in our live blog below:
Will Acheampong make his full Chelsea debut?
“Probably, yes,” said Enzo Maresca when asked if he intends to hand out any debuts to younger players in Kazakhstan.
“He’s in the squad, probably he’ll play from the start. With Josh, it’s clear, we all love Josh. The club loves Josh, I love Josh, we are trying to find an agreement with the player, we are close, we are almost there. We’ll see.”
Chelsea’s long-trip
Chelsea’s penultimate match of the Uefa Conference League league phase requires a 7,000-mile round-trip to Almaty, where the Blues aim to end Astana’s 13-game unbeaten home run in all competitions.
Enzo Maresca confirms full debut for Chelsea starlet after breakthrough in contract talks
The 18-year-old is one of the most highly-rated talents coming out of the Cobham, though the defender has played just once this season amid uncertainty over his future.
Astana vs Chelsea predicted line-ups
Enzo Maresca should utilise his huge squad and make a heap of changes for this game with Chelsea the heavy favourites to go on and win. Here’s how we see the two teams lining-up today:
Astana XI: Condric; Bartolec, Kazukolovas, Kalaica, Vorogovskiy; Ebong, Amanovic; Tomasov, Gripshi, Camara; Geoffrey.
Chelsea XI: Jorgensen; Acheampong, Disasi, Adarabioyo, Veiga; Rak-Sakyi, Dyer; George, Dewsbury-Hall, Nkunku; Guiu.
Early team news
Astana have not played for nearly a fortnight and are not thought to have any fresh injury concerns.
Enzo Maresca has spared most of his squad the trip to Kazakhstan, with Chelsea set to have a youthful look. Josh Acheampong is set to start while Ato Ampah, Harrison McMahon, Kaiden Wilson, Richard Olise and Harrison Murray-Campbell are among others to have travelled hoping for an opportunity.
How can I watch it?
Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on TNT Sports 2, with coverage from 3pm GMT. Subscribers can stream via discovery+.
If you want to stream major sporting events while you are travelling or watching from abroad you’ll need a VPN. Get the best VPN deals in the UK. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.
When is Astana vs Chelsea?
Astana vs Chelsea is due to kick off at 3.30pm GMT at the Almaty Central Stadium, which is being used with Astana’s regular ground under renovation.
Astana vs Chelsea
A long trip to Kazakhstan represents gruelling midweek business for Chelsea as they continue their Conference League campaign with a fixture against Astana.
A strong start to the Premier League season under Enzo Maresca continued with a comeback win at Tottenham on Sunday to leave Chelsea second and trailing Liverpool, who have played one game fewer, by four points.
Things are going smoothly in the tertiary European competition, too, with Maresca’s side atop the standings with four wins from four.
A heavily-rotated side is expected to be named for this meeting with Astana, who have one win so far in the Conference League and need a strong finish to assure themselves a place in the knockout rounds.
Is Astana v Chelsea on TV? Kick-off time, channel and how to watch Conference League fixture
A long trip to Kazakhstan represents gruelling midweek business for Chelsea as they continue their Conference League campaign with a fixture against Astana.
A strong start to the Premier League season under Enzo Maresca continued with a comeback win at Tottenham on Sunday to leave Chelsea second and trailing Liverpool, who have played one game fewer, by four points.
Things are going smoothly in the tertiary European competition, too, with Maresca’s side atop the standings with four wins from four.
A heavily-rotated side is expected to be named for this meeting with Astana, who have one win so far in the Conference League and need a strong finish to assure themselves a place in the knockout rounds.
Astana v Chelsea – Conference League
Welcome to the Independent’s live coverage of Astana vs Chelsea in the Conference League.
The long trip to Almaty poses a problem for Enzo Maresca as he navigates a blossoming title challenge in the Premier League, with the return trip in time for Sunday night’s contest against Brentford.
Maresca has opted to leave most of his first team players behind in London and intends to hand out a number of debuts to the next generation coming out of the Cobham academy.
Follow all the latest build-up and updates from a freezing Almaty, with temperatures set to plummet to -10c.
