Chelsea have confirmed that their UEFA Conference League group stage clash against FC Astana will not be played at the Astana Arena.
The Blues progressed into the next round of the competition last month when beating Swiss side Servette 3-2 on aggregate, with Christopher Nkunku scoring a crucial goal in the Blues’ 2-1 defeat in the away leg.
Kazakh side FC Astana progressed into the group stage of the competition in style though, despite not playing any of their home games at their own stadium, the Astana Arena.
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Their ground is currently being renovated which means that Astana have been forced to relocate for the 2024/25 campaign, playing their matches at the Almaty Ortalyk Stadion, 770 miles away from Astana and just 250 miles from the border to China.
Chelsea have now announced that their clash with Astana will also take place at the stadium, releasing a statement which read: “Renovation work on the impressive Astana Arena – which has a capacity of 30,000, a retractable roof and undersoil heating – has resulted in Astana playing their home fixtures elsewhere this season.
“They played their Conference League qualifying home matches against Milsami, Corvinul, and Brann at the Almaty Ortalyk Stadion – and that is where Astana will host Chelsea on Thursday 12 December.
“That fixture will be the Blues' final away trip of the league phase, which is now a single 36-team stage in which each side plays six fixtures (three home, three away).”
The change in stadium is unlikely to be music to the ears of Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca though given that the weather in Kazakhstan is incredibly cold. The average temperature in the area, which is 770 miles away from Astana, is -3 degrees centigrade.
Sometimes, the temperature can drop by a further four degrees in what will be a drastic change for the Chelsea players. There is also no roof on the Almaty Ortalyk Stadion to rub salt into the wounds of those who are not keen on the chillier climate.
The cold won’t be a problem for Cole Palmer though, despite his frosty celebration. The England international was omitted from Chelsea’s 27-man squad for this stage of the competition to manage the volume of games that he would be available for.
Wesley Fofana and Romeo Lavia were also both not named in the squad. The duo struggled with long-term injuries last season.
