Chelsea

A final word from Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca on travelling eight hours for a game: "Eight hours is not a normal time for a game. We have to go there. We have to play and we are going to try and do our best while also thinking about the next game."

On how they plan to manage the travelling time: "We have a session now and then we will fly there. We will have dinner and go to bed. Fortunately, they are five hours ahead of us so that means when we wake up tomorrow it is already midday here in England. We are going to be there less than 24 hours, but it's more the flight and the temperature [-11C] for sure. On Friday morning we are going to land around 6am in London and it is already Friday and we have a game Sunday, but we have to play."

Chelsea

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Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca on team news and whether he will use this game as an opportunity to rest senior players: "Some of them are going to be here [in England] and some of them are going to fly with us. More or less we are going to try and manage in the same way we have done until today. We have many young players with us and the rest are going to be here working."

On Noni Madueke: "He is going to stay here."

On whether any players will receive debuts tomorrow: "Probably, yes."

On Josh Acheampong: "He is in the squad yes and he will probably play from the start. We all love Josh, the club love Josh, I love Josh and we are trying to find an agreement with the player. We are close, we are almost there, but we will see."

Chelsea

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca on whether Chelsea are the favourites to win the Conference League: "No, I've said already about this competition the main target is to go to the next stage and the next one. The target is to go to the next one and if we achieve the next one then the next one. I don't like to think about things in four or five months.

"It's not about ambition. I am quite ambitious and the players and the club are ambitious but in my opinion if you think about things in four or five months then you can lose a bit of focus on the now."

Errmmm? Well there was this Stephan, or are you pulling our leg?

Chelsea

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca on whether the team's attacking talent will be enough to see them win trophies: "We conceded three goals against Tottenham the other day but there are still just two teams [Liverpool and Arsenal] that have conceded less than us [18 - in the Premier League].

"We are attacking and defending well. You are not going to win games or titles by just scoring goals, you need to defend.

"As I said, even after conceding three goals against Spurs, there are just two clubs that have conceded less than us so that means also defensively we are doing quite well."

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Chelsea

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has been speaking with the media this morning before Thursday's Conference League match with Astana.

The Blues will have to travel eight hours for tomorrow's match, which is set to take place in sub-zero temperatures, meaning Maresca was given special dispensation to hold his news conference in the UK before flying out. Managers normally have to speak to the media in the country where a European fixture is taking place.

With Chelsea currently at the summit of the Conference League table with a 100% record and just two games left to play, several young players are set to make the trip to Kazakhstan.

Stick with us for all the team news and key points from Maresca's news conference.

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Right, we have all the reaction from Aston Villa and Celtic's Champions League matches coming up, but first, let's check out what Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has had to say in his Conference League news conference...

Girona had 13 shots against Liverpool, hence the reason manager Arne Slot was not a happy man after watching his side scrape a 1-0 win last night.

But of Girona's five shots that hit the target, Alisson was equal to them all. That, plus Mohammed Salah, proved to be all Liverpool needed to maintain their 100% start to the Champions League.

Here is another look at the top half of the table...

Paul Robinson
Former England goalkeeper on the Football Daily podcast

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He [Alisson] is a big game player isn't he? He is one of, if not the, best goalkeeper in the world. I think his all round game, for me, makes him the best.

You look at the saves he makes and the way he dominates his box and he can do the modern-day bit as well - the distribution with his feet.

He hasn't forgotten the art that is keeping the ball out of the back of the net, first and foremost, and he is one of the best at doing that.

It's tough on Kelleher, he comes in and he does extremely well when he comes in and he would play at a lot of other clubs, but when you have got one of the world's best in Alisson, you see what effect he has when he plays.

Listen to the Football Daily podcast.

Anders clearly does not believe Liverpool's great start to the season will continue.

What do you think? Thumbs up if you think the Reds' start under Arne Slot will continue, or thumbs down if you think they will tail off?

It helps when you can call upon a goalkeeper of Alisson's quality, doesn't it?

Slot described the Brazilian as the best goalkeeper in the world and former England stopper Paul Robinson agrees. His quotes on Alisson, from the latest edition of the Football Daily podcast, are coming up...

We have plenty more coming up on Jhon Duran and his stunning strike for Aston Villa in their 3-2 win at RB Leipzig, which has put Unai Emery's side in with a strong chance of finishing in the top eight of the Champions League.

That would guarantee a place in the last 16 and give them what could prove to be a vital couple of weeks off from European football in February.

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Chris, Hants: In response to Martin, yes Duran is a fantastic, one might even say notorious, sub and it is a natural reflex to want him in the team. However, with CL, PL and the FA Cup needs to consider, it is not an ordinary world. With the number of appearances he has made we know he is not invisible.

Joe Rindl
BBC Sport

In September, before the first match of the league phase, Opta gave Liverpool a 4.6% chance of winning the Champions League.

Six teams were given a higher percentage, including Manchester City (24.9%) and Arsenal (6.3%).

But Liverpool have since gone on a phenomenal run in the competition.

Slot, tasked with replacing legendary Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, looks right at home at Anfield.

Indeed, the Dutchman is the only manager to win all of his first six Champions League matches with an English club. The former Feyenoord manager has masterminded:

• AC Milan 1-3 Liverpool
• Liverpool 2-0 Bologna
• RB Leipzig 0-1 Liverpool
• Liverpool 4-0 Bayer Leverkusen
• Liverpool 2-0 Real Madrid
• Girona 0-1 Liverpool

Understandably, the percentages have since changed.

Before this week's round of fixtures, the Reds' chances of winning the tournament had shot up to 20.7%, making them favourites.

Opta also gave them a 51.3% chance of making it to the semi-finals.

Stephen Warnock
Former Premier League defender on BBC Radio 5 Live

What we can say is, Liverpool for anyone will be a very, very tough game this season in both the Premier League and the Champions League.

Liverpool are leading the Champions League table after six games and are four points clear at the top of the Premier League with a game in hand.

It was not supposed to be this easy.

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Joe Rindl
BBC Sport

Six wins out of six, top of the league, and "one of the world's best keepers" returning to the starting XI - are Liverpool favourites to win the Champions League?

Arne Slot's side have made a dream start in Europe this season and, winning at Girona on Tuesday night, have all but skipped the play-off round and secured a spot in the Champions League last 16.

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand thinks Liverpool have "ridiculous" momentum and "form-wise have to be" frontrunners.

Speaking to TNT Sports, Ferdinand said the Reds "have all the make-up to be very successful" but did warn things can be "very different come April".

He said: "Form-wise they have to be the favourites at the moment but the trophy isn't handed out now.

"They have been perfect so far.

"He can take players like a Virgil van Dijk and Mo Salah out of the team for the latter two games now. They have been fighting on all fronts before and run out of steam but keeping players as fresh as possible is imperative."

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Marc Albrighton
Former Aston Villa midfielder on the Football Daily podcast

I think Girona did get through too easily. We are used to seeing this Liverpool team now under Arne Slot very compact defensively and no gaps and that wasn't the case against Girona. Alisson has had to come in straight away and have so much work to do and he has done it fantastically well.

Arne Slot seems the type of manager that is very demanding - he wants the best and his standards are high and if he wasn't going to send a full strength team out against Girona then it sends a bit of a message that they want to be where they are now - through to the next stage. Now is an opportunity and now they can rest the players so I think it was important that they put out a strong team to get them over the line.

Listen to the Football Daily podcast.

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Right, back to Liverpool's perfect start to the Champions League.

Arne Slot's side were boosted by the return from injury of Brazil goalkeeper Alisson, who the Reds boss called "the best goalkeeper in the world" after their narrow win in Girona.

Slot was unhappy with his side's overall performance, but not with his number one stopper.

Alisson made five saves in the first half to help extend the club's run without conceding in the competition to close to nine hours.

He had not played since pulling his hamstring in a win at Crystal Palace on 5 October.

Slot said: "We have an incredible goalkeeper. I said as a joke, maybe the players wanted to see how fit he was to give him so much work."