Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has expressed concerns over the demanding schedule, stating it is “not normal” for a player to make a 16-hour round trip to Kazakhstan for Thursday’s Conference League match and then play against Brentford on Sunday night.
The Blues face an eight-hour flight for the 3,700-mile (6,000km) journey to Almaty in southern Kazakhstan, where they will face Astana due to renovations at the home stadium in the capital, 600 miles away.
Chelsea will return to London on Friday morning and quickly prepare to face Brentford in the Premier League at 19:00 GMT on Sunday. The team is currently in second place, four points behind Liverpool.
“Eight hours [one way] is not a normal time [to travel] for a game, but we have to go there, we have to play and we want to try to do our best, thinking also about the next game,” said Maresca, whose side are top of the Conference League table with four wins from four.
Chelsea’s travel plans for the Conference League match will be impacted by an extended flight, as the plane must take a non-direct route to avoid conflict zones in Ukraine, Russia, and Syria.
The team will also face harsh conditions, with temperatures predicted to drop as low as -11°C. Additionally, Chelsea will maintain Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) during their 18-hour stay in Kazakhstan, which is five hours ahead of GMT.
Manager Enzo Maresca confirmed that several first-team players will be rested for the trip, including England winger Noni Madueke. Portugal winger Pedro Neto will also miss the match due to suspension, as he is set to miss Sunday’s Premier League clash with Brentford.
Several youth players have been called up for the journey, including Ato Ampah, Shumaira Mheuka, Harrison McMahon, Kaiden Wilson, Richard Olise (the brother of Bayern Munich winger Michael), and Harrison Murray-Campbell.
Young defender Josh Acheampong, who is close to signing a new contract, is expected to “probably start” on Thursday. Meanwhile, star forward Cole Palmer, injured players Romeo Lavia and Wesley Fofana, as well as exiled Ben Chilwell, have not been registered for UEFA’s third-tier competition.
“The ones that are not involved tomorrow, first of all, they’re going to be training, and they have to train well,” added 44-year-old Italian Maresca.
“You never know whether we might need one of the guys who play tomorrow on Sunday. Ideally, we prefer not to. We are going to land at 6 a.m. on Friday and it’s not normal for one of them, if they land at 6 am on Friday, to play again on Sunday.”
“But if we need [them to], they are going to make the effort.”
When asked about the cold, confirmed starter Axel Disasi said: “We just have to put on two pairs of gloves and be ready to compete in these conditions.
“We all know the conditions of these games, it’s an hour flight and minus 11, so download some movies to watch on the plane, be ready to fight, and keep first place.”
The Premier League has allowed Chelsea to have a late kick-off time on Sunday because of the trip, which is why the Brentford game will kick off at 19:00 GMT.