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In Thursday afternoon's last League Phase match, Chelsea will travel to Kazakhstan to face Astana, hoping to maintain their spotless Conference League record.
A playoff position in the round of 16 is already confirmed for the West Londoners, but the Yellow and Blues still need to finish in the top 24.
Previous Matches and Head-to-head
Just two clubs this season have amassed a maximum of 12 points from their first four matches—Polish side Legia Warsaw and Chelsea—while scoring 18 goals and allowing just three goals.
Christopher Nkunku set a new record with a goal, and Mykhaylo Mudryk scored in stoppage time to help Enzo Maresca's squad beat German club Heidenheim 2-0 two weeks ago. The team had previously defeated Gent (4-2), Panathinaikos (4-1), and FC Noah (8-0).
Chelsea, who are currently atop the 36-team table, have just one home game, against Shamrock Rovers, and can virtually ensure a top-eight finish if they defeat Astana on Thursday. This contrasts the newly-formed League Phase in the Champions League and Europa League, where teams play eight games.
After losing 2-0 to Newcastle United in the EFL Cup at the tail end of October, the West Londoners have gone on an eight-game undefeated streak across all competitions, winning their past five matches by an aggregate score of 16-5. They will be sure of victory against Astana.
Including last weekend's 4-3 Premier League triumph over London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea have won their last four away games on the trot. This impressive run has propelled Maresca's squad to second place in the league and within four points of leaders Liverpool, who hold a game in hand.
Astana, who is back for another year in the Conference League, have yet to capitalize on their opening-match victory against Backa Topola (1-0) in October, earning only a single point from their previous three matches.
After suffering 2-0 and 1-0 losses to The New Saints and Pafos, respectively, they last played a competitive match two weeks ago, drawing 1-1 at home against Vitoria de Guimaraes of Portugal. The visitors scored in the 89th minute to equalize after Branimir Kalaica had opened the scoring in the first half.
Grigori Babayan's squad took a hit when they lost two points so late in the game, but they are still in the hunt for a playoff spot (they are currently 23rd out of 36 teams), just inside the playoff spots (thanks to a goal differential), and five points behind the top eight.
Even though Astana are heavy underdogs going into Thursday's match against Premier League powerhouse Chelsea, Babayan has admitted that "the excitement is crazy" leading up to the game. Despite this, Astana still has reasonable cause to be confident about getting a win.
The Yellow and Blues are riding a 13-game unbeaten home run (W11 D2) in all competitions. This run includes four wins and one draw in five Conference League fixtures (including qualifiers), and it is all thanks to their domestic season, which they finished just one point behind Kazakhstan Premier League winners Kairat.
Astana x Chelsea Team News
Astana is now in good health, and Babayan's squad has had two weeks off from competitive action, so they are refreshed and ready to go.
With top scorer Geoffrey Chinedu out with an injury, the squad that defeated Dynamo Kyiv will likely be selected, with defender Aleksa Amanovic perhaps keeping his midfield position alongside Maks Ebong. The line is headed by Charles, who has scored ten goals this season.
Regarding Chelsea, the following players cannot participate: Wesley Fofana, Romeo Lavia, Cole Palmer, Ben Chilwell, and Marcus Bettinelli. Of these, Wesley and Romeo are already out with injuries, while Cole and Ben are joined in the treatment room by Reece James, who has a hamstring.
While Mykhaylo Mudryk (sickness) will be evaluated before kickoff, Cesare Casadei (suspension) will not play either since he was sent off in the Blues' triumph at Heidenheim last time out.
Defender Josh Acheampong, midfielder Samuel Rak-Sakyi, and winger Tyrique George—who made his full debut in last month's 8-0 victory against FC Noah, who are among the promising young players that Maresca is likely to start off the bench again.
Our Predictions
Chelsea to win and over 2.5 goals @ 1.62 on Sky247.ng
Even though Maresca makes numerous substitutions and gives some younger players a taste of the cold Kazakhstani weather, Chelsea should still pull off the upset, as Astana will be eager to put on a show at home and frustrate them.
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