ALMATY TREK
We’re so Chelsea-mad we’ve flown between two war zones to Chinese border to watch our team – and even eaten horse brains
Read our report from the only UK journalist to brave the crazy journey
DODGING war zones, braving Arctic conditions... and tucking into horse brains.
An away day in the outer reaches of Kazakhstan is like no other.
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Chelsea face Astana in the Conference League today, with die-hard fans embarking on a gruelling 7,000-mile round trip to a far-flung destination close to the Chinese border.
Blues supporters are experienced European travellers and they have watched their side clinch continental success on numerous occasions — not least winning the Champions League in 2012 and 2021.
Yet this trip provides an equally unforgettable and unique experience for the 500 going.
Three flights are needed to get there as direct journeys from London to the city of Almaty are difficult to come by.
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Chelsea fans have therefore been forced to get inventive — their 24-hour trip started yesterday with a plane from London to Ankara, Turkey.
A seven-hour layover in an eerily quiet terminal until a local time of 2am awaited them before they hopped to board a second flight between two war zones to get to Astana, Kazakhstan’s capital.
The route taken goes over the Black and Caspian Seas, using the so-called ‘Middle Corridor’, in order to avoid the Russia-Ukraine conflict in the north and the raging Middle East tensions to the south.
That would normally be far enough but Astana’s regular home ground is being renovated and they are instead playing 764 miles away in Almaty’s Central Stadium.
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Touching down just 235 miles away from China, the Chelsea faithful can expect to be greeted by bitterly cold temperatures.
Weather forecasts say it will drop to -11C at the time of the game.
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But it has not put off Londoner George Higgins, who said it was the allure of visiting a new country that attracted him to the trip.
His adventure was pushed over the 24-hour mark by a three-hour delay in London before he finally boarded a flight to Kazakhstan via Istanbul and the Uzbekistan capital Tashkent.
In a region five hours ahead of UK time, Almaty is a city that finds itself somewhere between gentrification and post-Soviet greyness.
Battered Mercedes estate cars of years gone by fill the roads but there are also modern shopping malls full of familiar brands.
In the back alleys there are a surprising number of English-inspired pubs for fans to enjoy once they have shaken off the jet lag.
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Over a pint of Russian beer, Norwegian Chelsea fans Knut, Lars, Sven and Anders discuss a week that has seen them ditch the usual pre-match pie for a plate of horse brains.
On what drew them to this unique away day, they said: “The trip, mate, the trip. We said, ‘We have to go to Kazakhstan’. If Chelsea are going, why shouldn’t we?
“I was actually hoping to qualify for the Conference League because of exactly these types of away days.
“You get to watch teams you have never heard of — but you still want the excuse of going somewhere you would never normally go.
"It was a very nice journey but a long one.”
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The last time Chelsea were near Asia for a competitive game of football was when they thrashed Arsenal 4-1 in the 2019 Europa League final in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Enzo Maresca and the travelling Blues fans will be hoping the miles on the clock are worth it come May 28 for the Conference League final in Wroclaw, Poland.
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