Chelsea XI vs Astana: Confirmed team news, predicted lineup and injury latest for Conference League | OneFootball

Blues expected to rotate for long trip to Kazakhstan

Chelsea will leave a host of first-team stars in London when they travel to Kazakhstan to face Astana in the Conference League on Thursday.

The Blues have won all four of their group stage games in the competition so far and sit top of the table, giving Enzo Maresca licence to prioritise Sunday’s Premier League meeting with Brentford by sparing key players the eight-hour flight.

“Some of [the senior players] are going to be here [at Cobham] and some of them are going to fly with us,” Maresca said. “More or less we try to manage in the same way we have done until today. We have many young players, 17 players with us and the rest are going to be here working.

Maresca confirmed that young full-back Josh Acheampong will be among the academy graduates involved and is expected to start, bringing to an end his near-three-month exile over a contract dispute.

Chelsea will reveal their travelling squad on Wednesday afternoon after training at Cobham, but Maresca has already confirmed that winger Noni Madueke will be among those to stay behind.

Madueke would ordinarily have been a candidate to feature against Astana having only come off the bench in Sunday’s 4-3 win over Tottenham, but Pedro Neto’s yellow card in that game means he will be suspended against Southampton and Maresca is keen to keep his wide options open.

Neto could therefore travel to Kazakhstan, particularly with Mykhailo Mudryk - who has been absent through illness - not spotted in open training on Wednesday morning.

Midfielder Cesare Casadei, who has featured in all four group games so far, is suspended after his late sending off against Heidenheim.

Predicted Chelsea XI: Jorgensen; Acheampong, Disasi, Tosin, Veiga; Dewsbury-Hall, Chukwuemeka; George, Nkunku, Neto; Guiu.

Injured: Fofana, James

Suspended: Casadei

Time and date: 3:30pm GMT on Thursday December 12, 2024

Venue: Almaty Ortalyk Stadium, Astana

TV channel and live stream: TNT Sports