Chelsea have grown accustomed to making arduous trips eastward in their bid for European silverware over the past decade.
The Blues will once again journey to the edge of UEFA jurisdiction on Wednesday evening as they make the 5,000-mile round trip to Azerbaijan’s capital Baku, the venue for their Champions League league phase meeting with Qarabağ.
The trip to the Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium will take them approximately six hours by plane, followed by another six-hour flight back to London. They will be hoping that they return with three points amid their luggage come Wednesday evening.
Chelsea’s battle with Qarabağ kicks off at 5:45 p.m. GMT (12:45 p.m. ET, 9:45 a.m. ET), but for the locals inside the 31,000-seater arena the match commences at 9:45 p.m. There‘s unlikely to be a significant Chelsea presence at the stadium, with any travelling fans instantly clinching die-hard status, and their hosts are not to be underestimated.
