Uno, table tennis and beach - how Miami lifted Chelsea

Chelsea's move to the glamorous surroundings of Miami has been welcomed by squad members and staff.

The Blues switched from Philadelphia to a known but unnamed beach resort in Miami for privacy reasons in preparation for the knockout stages.

Several sources told BBC Sport that, although their previous base in Philadelphia was perfect - a five-star hotel in the centre of the city - there was increasingly a feeling of cabin fever due to the oppressive record-breaking heatwave that discouraged players from going outside.

It remains hot in Miami but players have still gone for walks, coffees and shopping trips while remaining relatively anonymous in their street clothing in slightly cooler temperatures by the coast. They have also held a barbecue night.

"Being in Miami is obviously amazing with the beach right there," said defender Levi Colwill. "It is nice just to walk, clear your head a bit. I'd say it is quite chilled. We've got a little card group going on.

"You've got the pool, you've got the beach, you've got a lot of things to keep you busy while you're not playing football."

There is also a games room, which was already present in Philadelphia, but is proving popular, featuring retro and modern console computer games, card games like Uno, table tennis and basketball facilities.

Youngster Josh Acheampong spoke about a table tennis competition for the players, saying: "We did a tournament and Trev [Chalobah] was quite good. Enzo Fernandez and Tyrique [George] are actually also quite good. I'm not the best, but I find it quite fun. It was like a two v two tournament."

Summer signing Dario Essugo added: "We play PlayStation, make some things, play Uno, to make the time pass quicker. The team-mates are very good guys and I am happy to be here."

Families and friends have also been encouraged to travel and hosted by the club for the latter rounds after few came for the group stage.

However, following two days of rest after a win over Benfica, training remains difficult. Chelsea are having morning sessions at Barry University to avoid the worst of the heat, but are still restricted to shorter sessions as they were in Philadelphia.

The other downside of a Miami base is travel. Chelsea went north to Charlotte in North Carolina to play Benfica and will return to Philadelphia, where Friday's quarter-final opponents Palmeiras are based, on Thursday night before the game the following day.

If Chelsea win their 62nd match of the season, they are expected to set up a new training base near New York. The semi-final and potential final would both be played at the MetLife Stadium just across the Hudson River in East Rutherford, New Jersey.