Summer lingers on in south-eastern Europe where Chelsea trained on Tuesday evening ahead of the club's first match on Romanian soil.

The full 20-man squad that has made the trip to Transylvania took to the pitch in the Dr. Constantin Radulescu Stadium as dusk fell on a warm and sunny day.

Even if daylight was dimming, the bright sparking of welding torches still lit up the area outside the arena as the team coach arrived, the hurried finishing touches being made to a ground about to hold the most momentous game in its history.

Inside, the walls are already proudly adorned with pictures of Cluj's 2-1 win a fortnight ago, the game that sent shockwaves through Italian football as Romania triumphed over Roma.

More photos celebrating Cluj's league and cup double last season reminded new visitors that this is a rising force in football in this country. The new wealth of Chelsea's opponents was evident in a metallic main stand, still having its final coat of paint applied, that takes the capacity comfortably over the 20,000 mark.

An impressive backdrop it made too as the Chelsea players were put through their paces by fitness coach Darlan Schneider, the stand completing what are four contrasting sides of the ground.

Behind one goal there is a smaller two-tiered stand; on the opposite side to the subs' benches a smaller single-level affair; and then to the right of the main stand there is nothing apart from an impressive view of the hills in the distance, the open end triggering comparison with Aldershot's Recreation Ground - for anyone who saw Chelsea Reserves play there in the recent past.

It is all a new experience too for the likes of Branislav Ivanovic, Franco Di Santo, Rhys Taylor and Miroslav Stoch, experiencing an away Champions League game for the first time as part of the squad out here.

Salomon Kalou looked untroubled by the knock that had forced his half-time withdrawal on Saturday, as he trained on a pitch that looks more uneven than most Chelsea have played on in this competition.

Cluj are all clued up on one aspect of hosting a Champions League night. Thousands of flags, some claret, some white, are already in place next to seats, ready to be waved Stamford Bridge-style tomorrow night.