CHELSEA strives to preserve their perfect record in the Conference League TONIGHT as they compete against Astana.

A number of the Blues‘ players are keen to impress the first team after achieving four straight victories in Europe.

Chelsea have won all of their Conference League matches so far this season

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Chelsea has won every one of their Conference League matches this seasonCredit: Getty

In their latest match, Chelsea recorded a comfortable 2-0 victory against the German side Heidenheim, with Christopher Nkunku and Mykhailo Mudryk scoring.

Enzo Maresca‘s team will aim to extend their lead at the top of the Conference League standings today but faces a tough match under challenging circumstances.

Chelsea not only faces an eight-hour flight to Kazakhstan to challenge the underdogs Astana, but they will also deal with bitter winter conditions, with temperatures predicted to drop below freezing.

Why is Astana vs Chelsea kicking off at 3.30pm?

The match between Chelsea and Astana will start at an atypical time in the UK.

This match is set to kick off at the Almaty Ortalyk Stadium at 8.30pm local time, which is 3.30pm in the UK.

Astana is five hours ahead of London, and due to the harsh winter temperatures expected in Kazakhstan, the game cannot be scheduled for a later time.

Generally, European matches are held at either 5.45pm or 8pm in the UK, but all of Astana’s home games in the Conference League took place at 3.30pm last season.

Chelsea faces a busy schedule, with the Blues scheduled to meet Brentford at 7pm GMT on Sunday, and Maresca has indicated that there will be several changes to his lineup this evening.

The Italian remarked: “Some of them will be here and some will travel with us. Essentially, we are trying to manage the squad as we have done previously.”

“We have a lot of young players—17 are with us—while the others will stay behind. An eight-hour journey is not typical for a match, but we have to go, compete, and do our best, keeping the next game in mind.”

How to watch Astana vs Chelsea

  • Astana vs Chelsea will be shown live on TNT Sports 2.
  • The match can be streamed live on discovery+.
  • Alternatively, keep updated on all the action by following SunSport’s live blog.