European away days were not so taxing for Chelsea last season. They were too good for the Conference League and were able to win it even though Enzo Maresca often used those Thursday assignments to play his reserves and keep his best players fresh for the Premier League.
This time, though, the physical demands are tougher. Competing in the Champions League has been more sapping and Maresca has to work out how to strike the right balance when his team face Qarabag at the Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium on Wednesday evening, in their fourth game of the league phase.
