Astana vs Chelsea predicted lineups and team news

UEFA Conference League frontrunners Chelsea face a long journey and freezing conditions on their arrival when they take on Astana on Thursday afternoon (December 12th) in Almaty.

Kick-off at the Sportivnyy Kompleks Kaznu is scheduled for 15:30 GMT, with the game set to be shown live on TNT Sports 2.

Astana vs Chelsea Predicted XIs

Astana (4-2-3-1): Condric; Bartolec, Kazukolovas, Kalaica, Vorogovskiy; Ebong, Amanovic; Tomasov, Gripshi, Camara; Geoffrey.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Jorgensen; Acheampong, Disasi, Tosin, Veiga; Rak-Sakyi, Dewsbury-Hall; George, Nkunku, Felix; Guiu.

Maresca’s Chelsea continue to impress

Chelsea have been a cut above the rest in the Conference League this season and, sitting top of the standings, they should soon confirm their place in the knockout stage of the competition.

Maresca has been earning well-deserved plaudits for the start he has made at Chelsea following his summer move from Leicester City.

Many questioned the club’s decision to choose the Italian but the former Foxes boss, who helped Leicester win the Championship title last season, has managed to get the most out of a big squad where his predecessors had previously struggled.

Managing to balance keeping the pace in the Premier League title race and commitments across Europe and next into Central Asia, Maresca has deserved all the praise he’s received so far.

Thursday’s trip will provide a unique test for Maresca and his side, as they travel over 6,000km and prepare for up to -14C temperatures when they head to the Sportivnyy Kompleks Kaznu.

Astana have a strong home record, as they currently find themselves unbeaten in their last 13 home games in all competitions.

With their home ground in the Kazakhstani capital under renovation, this game against Chelsea will take place in the south of the country in Almaty.

A grass pitch will require substantial heating given the conditions and this game will provide a good test for Chelsea’s young guns to see how they stand up to adversity in a match that has many elements stacked up against them.

Astana vs Chelsea Team News

Astana have no fresh injury concerns ahead of Thursday’s game and they will be well rested after having two weeks off since their last competitive game.

Enzo Maresca has tended to make wholesale changes for games in the Conference League and Thursday’s 6,000km-plus trip to southern Kazakhstan is likely to be no different.

Omitted from the club’s Conference League squad, Wesley Fofana, Romeo Lavia, Cole Palmer, Ben Chilwell and Marcus Bettinelli are all ineligible to feature in this game.

Reece James continues to have his injury woes and is out with a hamstring issue, while Cesare Casadei is unavailable due to suspension following his red card against Heidenheim in Chelsea’s last Conference League outing.

Ukrainian star Mykhaylo Mudryk has been struggling with illness and will be assessed ahead of kick-off.

Youngsters Josh Acheampong, Samuel Rak-Sakyi and Tyrique George have all featured in the Conference League this season and are in line to start this game in Almaty.