Chelsea Diary: European nights and FA Youth Cup begins

This week, the spotlight is on our men's and women's teams as they compete in important European matches under the lights. After that, the Academy's knockout games will take the stage.

We're sharing the responses following a couple of league wins on Sunday. This features Enzo Maresca’s take on Chelsea's thrilling 4-3 win over Tottenham Hotspur, along with insights from goal scorers Cole Palmer and Jadon Sancho.

Our women's team scored four goals, winning 4-2 against Brighton & Hove Albion at Kingsmeadow earlier today. Following the match, Sonia Bompastor and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd shared their thoughts on the remarkable achievement of securing their 13th straight victory across all competitions this season.

Our Chelsea Advent series is still going strong this week, and today we’re reminiscing about some of the club's most iconic players who wore the number nine jersey.

Chelsea Women are aiming for their fifth consecutive victory in the Champions League group stage. Bompastor, along with one of her players, will hold a press conference before the match at 3 PM, which will be followed by an open training session. Both events will be broadcast live on the official Chelsea website and app.

In Tuesday's special feature, we'll be honoring Millie Bright's ten years with Chelsea as we celebrate the 10th anniversary of her joining the club as captain of the women's team.

The anticipation for the Astana vs Chelsea Conference League match on Thursday evening starts early on Wednesday morning. Maresca and one of his players will hold a media session at Cobham, beginning at 8:30 AM. This press conference will be streamed live on the official Chelsea website and app, after which there will be the first 15 minutes of an open training session.

The attention will still be on Europe in the evening as Chelsea Women take on the Dutch team Twente at Stamford Bridge in the Champions League group stage. They aim to build on their 3-1 victory in the Netherlands with another win. The match kicks off at 8 PM and will be broadcast live by DAZN in the UK. You can also find ongoing updates in our Chelsea Women vs Twente Match Centre.

In this Wednesday's Chelsea Advent feature, we will celebrate December 11th by reflecting on some of Guro Reiten's most impressive goals.

On Thursday evening, we’ll head out for our last away match in the Conference League group stage, traveling to eastern Kazakhstan for a game against Astana—our most extended European journey so far. We’ve had a perfect record with four wins in four matches in the competition and can secure our spot in the round of 16 with another victory. The match is set to begin at 3:30 PM UK time and will be broadcast live on TNT Sports in the UK. Additionally, we will be offering updates on all the action in our Astana vs Chelsea Match Centre.

In our Chelsea Advent series, we'll celebrate the 12th by reminiscing about 12 of the most unforgettable European away matches in Chelsea's history.

After summarizing the key moments from Thursday's Conference League match against Astana, we will share all the responses from Maresca and his team regarding our fifth match in the league stage.

As the weekend approaches, focus will shift towards Maresca’s press conference before our Premier League clash with Brentford. After that, Bompastor will speak to the media regarding Chelsea Women’s upcoming game in the Women’s Super League.

In the evening, the spotlight shifts to our Under-18 team. The FA Youth Cup is the top tournament in academy football, and Chelsea is set to kick off this season's journey in the third round with an away match against Leicester City, starting at 7 PM. This game is a repeat of their meeting at the same stage last season, where Chelsea secured a 3-1 victory over the Foxes.

On Saturday, Chelsea Women are set to visit Leicester City, and we'll provide live updates in our Match Centre for Leicester City vs Chelsea Women. The match will air live on the Women's Super League YouTube channel starting at noon. Bompastor's team is looking to strengthen their five-point advantage at the top of the league.

After our midweek efforts in European play, we're back for another Sunday match in the Premier League. This week, the game kicks off later than usual at 7pm UK time, as we take on Brentford at Stamford Bridge in the second of three London derbies this month. You can catch all the pre-game coverage and live action in our Chelsea vs Brentford Match Centre. Plus, after the final whistle, we’ll provide all the immediate reactions and match highlights at 11pm.