Enzo Maresca has taken a total of 12 Chelsea youngsters with him as part of his traveling squad for the club’s 7,000-mile round trip to face Astana in Kazakhstan on Thursday.
The Blues are in control of their UEFA Conference League progression having won four out of four games in the third-tier European competition and are now set to give several youngsters their senior debuts.
It remains to be seen who will be part of Maresca’s starting eleven in the city of Almaty, where he is expected to reach -11 on the day, but a combination of multiple young and veteran players is expected.
Chelsea have landed in Kazakhstan after a 10-hour flight which saw 12 academy stars travel along with eight first-team players as the Blues look to maintain their 100 per cent winning start to the competition.
Harrison Murray-Campbell, Kaiden Wilson, Tyrique George, Kiano Dyer, Harrison McMahon, Samuel Rak-Sakyi, Ato Ampah, Max Merrick, Lucas Bergstrom, Josh Acheampong, Shumaira Mheuka and Richard Olise – brother of Bayern Munich star Michael Olise – They were the young people who made the trip.
Summer signing Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is one of only two senior midfielders traveling as he looks to get more starting opportunities, while Pedro Neto is expected to lead Chelsea’s attack.
Enzo Maresca has taken a total of 12 Chelsea youngsters as part of his traveling squad for the club’s 7,000-mile round trip to face Astana in Kazakhstan.
Rising star Josh Acheampong, the academy star who has been embroiled in a contract dispute, is among those who have travelled.
Meanwhile, 18-year-old Acheampong is among those set for his first senior start after positive progress was made in his contractual impasse that had previously left the 18-year-old frozen.
Maresca praised Acheampong ahead of the overseas trip, stating in his pre-match press conference: “We all love Josh, the club loves Josh, I love Josh and we are trying to get a deal done.
‘We are close, we are almost there. He is in the team and will probably play from the beginning.” On whether there will be debutants, Maresca added: “Probably yes.”
Chelsea players landed in sub-zero temperatures for the European competition
Kiano Dyer (left) and Shumaira Mheuka (right) could make their Chelsea debuts in Kazakhstan.
Dyer and Mheuka are also in line for possible debuts after being named in the squad which will mean they miss Chelsea’s FA Under 18 Youth Cup clash against Leicester.
Noni Madueke is among the senior players left in England ahead of the weekend’s Premier League match against Brentford, while Cole Palmer was not named in Maresca’s squad for the first phase of the competition.
When Chelsea first started in the competition, only five youth players were named in the team: Acheampong, Dyer, George, McMahon and Merrick.
Chelsea are allowed to add an unlimited number of youngsters to their team’s ‘B list’ at will and have made additions as the league phase has progressed, with 19-year-old Rak-Sakyi coming off the bench in their victories in the Conference League. Noah and Heidenheim last month.