Astana vs Chelsea

High-flying Chelsea head to the Almaty Central Stadium to take on Astana in their latest UEFA Europa Conference League fixture.

Despite facing double-figure odds to upset the leading candidates for the Conference League trophy, Astana will take the field with plenty of enthusiasm, fighting to keep hold of the last knockout qualification place. After losing the domestic league title to Kairat Almaty earlier this month, Grigoriy Babayan’s men turn their attention toward Europe, hoping to build on a two-game unbeaten record in Almaty this term (W1, D1). Both matches featured under 2.5 goals, highlighting the potential for a low-scoring contest. Maintaining that run against Chelsea sounds like a tall order, yet after beating Manchester United in their only previous home clash against English opposition in 2019/20, there’s a reason for optimism.

On the other hand, a 2-0 triumph at Heidenheim in the previous round has seen Chelsea set one foot in the knockout stages, having fortified their position at the top of the 36-team table as one of only two sides with a 100% record after four matches. Furthermore, Enzo Maresca’s free-flowing frontline bagged 18 goals across those victories at an average of 4.5 per game while only conceding three in return. Delivering action from the get-go, they’ve netted six goals inside the first 30 minutes! Chelsea demonstrated their attacking-minded football last weekend with a come-from-behind 4-3 win against fierce Premier League rivals Tottenham, extending their unbeaten streak in all competitions to eight games (W6, D2), including five wins in a row ahead of this trip.