Enzo Maresca has brought along a total of 12 Chelsea youngsters as part of his traveling squad for the club’s 7,000-mile round trip to Astana in Kazakhstan on Thursday.
The Blues are in control of progress in the UEFA Conference League, having won four of four matches in the third European competition, and are now set to hand several youngsters their senior debuts.
It remains to be seen who will make Maresca’s starting line-up in the city of Almaty, where temperatures are expected to be minus 11 on the day, but a combination of several young players and seniors are expected.
Chelsea have now landed in Kazakhstan after a 10-hour flight that saw 12 academy stars travel along with eight first-team players as the Blues look to maintain their 100 percent 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 – were the young people who made the journey.
Summer signing Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is one of only two senior midfielders to travel as he targets more starting opportunities, while Pedro Neto is expected to lead Chelsea’s attack.
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 Astana in Kazakhstan.
Rising star Josh Acheampong, the academy star who has been involved in a contract feud, is among those who have traveled
Meanwhile, 18-year-old Acheampong is among those set for his first senior start after positive progress was made in his contract standoff, with the 18-year-old previously frozen out.
Maresca praised Acheampong ahead of the trip abroad, saying at his pre-match press conference: ‘We all love Josh, the club loves Josh, I love Josh and we are trying to find an agreement.
‘We are close, we are almost there. He is in the squad and will probably play from the start.’ As to whether there will be debutants, Maresca added: “Probably so.”
Chelsea’s players landed in sub-zero temperatures for the European match
Kiano Dyer (left) and Shumaira Mheuka (right) could both make their Chelsea debuts in Kazakhstan
Dyer and Mheuka are also in line for a possible debut after being named in the squad, meaning they will miss the FA Youth Cup tie between Chelsea Under 18s and Leicester.
Noni Madueke is among the senior players who have remained in England ahead of this weekend’s Premier League match against Brentford, while Cole Palmer was left out of Maresca’s squad for the first phase of the competition.
When Chelsea first entered the competition, only five youth players were included in the squad, namely: Acheampong, Dyer, George, McMahon and Merrick.
Chelsea can add any number of youngsters to their squad’s ‘B-list’ whenever they want and they have made additions as the league phase has progressed, with 19-year-old Rak-Sakyi coming off the bench in their Conference League wins . Noah and Heidenheim last month.