Chelsea are placing faith in youth as they prepare to play Astana in sub-freezing conditions in Kazakhstan, having added a bundle of academy boys to their Conference League squad in readiness for the 7,000-mile round trip.
Enzo Maresca's side have won four out of four fixtures in the league phase and sources say it was always part of the plan to give an opportunity to their Cobham conveyor belt if they reached this fifth tie with a perfect record. It remains to be seen who will make Maresca’s starting line-up in the city of Almaty, where it is forecasted to reach as low as minus 11 on Thursday, as the academy call-ups are set to be combined with a number of senior stars.