The UEFA Youth League offers valuable experience for our young players as they continue their development. The squad have been encouraged to embrace the challenge in Estonia, and show togetherness ahead of the contest at the Lillekula Stadium.

Hudson describes Flora Tallinn as well coached and technically capable, but believes the Blues can use our physical qualities to our advantage. Chelsea’s recent performances have provided a strong foundation heading into the match, with Hudson pleased by the squad’s tactical flexibility throughout the start of the season.

It’s been a hectic month for CNG, but the players have taken the challenges in their stride. Following the end of the international break, we beat senior opposition Reading and earned three points away at Stoke City three days later.

In the build up to another tough test in its own right, Hudson revealed how the squad have been preparing.

‘There’s always a challenge with finding the time to specifically work for the Youth League,' he said. 'We were fortunate that the previous week we had no midweek game for the Under-18s or CNG. That allowed us to get an extra couple of days of training in. We’ve been quite creative with finding the time to prepare and we’ve had some really good sessions.

‘Flora Tallinn are very well coached, they have a very clear game plan, especially when in possession, and have some technical players. There are some threats we need to manage but we can utilise our physical strength.’

While Hudson highlighted Flora’s threats, he believes our success in the league can give us a boost in Europe.

He said: ‘The majority of the boys have been playing for CNG so are in a decent place and doing well in PL2 at the moment. We can take that confidence into Tallinn.’

With confidence growing within the squad, Hudson is keen for the Blues to carry that momentum into Estonia. Unity and defensive deiscpline will be key to our approach tomorrow night.

When the players step onto the pitch, the CNG manager said he wants to see ‘togetherness with and without the ball’.

Hudson said: ‘We are going into a different environment with a different culture, so we need to be together, be one team and work for each other.

‘It’s a high jeopardy, two-legged tie where we have the advantage of playing the second game at home. The main priority is to defend as well as we can, then we know we’ve got talented individuals who can cause any team real problems.’

So far this season, our performances out of possession have laid the groundwork for our success, according to Hudson. He praised the players for how well they’ve taken on various game plans.

The CNG manager said: ‘Wehave an ability to adapt and manage threats. If a team starts with something slightly different, we have an answer for that by having a structure that can be flexible to manage different threats. That’s what has given us the foundations for our success over the last six to eight weeks.’

The UEFA Youth League is a prestigious competition that gives players a fantastic opportunity to showcase their ability on the European stage.

On the value that the competition provides, Hudson said: ‘We have players that will go on to play in the Champions League and across all European competitions, so these Youth League trips give the players an understanding of how to manage your schedule and the long travel. It is quite literally invaluable for that experience and exposure.

‘We had a workshop around our team identity and understanding that this is a high-jeopardy game, but we have the right attributes to deal with that pressure. The Youth League is probably the best youth competition in the world to showcase talent so we know the amazing experience this competition can give them.’

Beyond the result, Hudson is hoping to see the Blues play with a clear identity and demonstrate positive behaviours as a group. Ahead of kick-off, he revealed his final message to the players.

‘My final message goes back to that point of being together, being brace and working for each other. We are looking forward to playing different football cultures and trying to adapt and impose ourselves on this path in the competition.’