Chelsea winger Pedro Neto will be rested for the club’s nearly 5,000-mile round trip to face Qarabag in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Wednesday, manager Enzo Maresca confirmed.

Neto, who showed signs of a calf issue during Saturday’s 1-0 Premier League victory over Tottenham Hotspur, is being sidelined as a precaution while Chelsea chase their third consecutive win in the Champions League.

“Not a problem, just a small issue. We’ll try to protect him. He’s not involved in tomorrow’s game,” Maresca told reporters on Tuesday.

“We need to rotate some players. We come back to London at 6 a.m. on Friday and then have a game on Saturday. We’ll try to adapt and do our best.”

Chelsea, currently seventh in the Premier League, host bottom-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers at 21:00 CET on Saturday.

In Europe, Chelsea’s Champions League campaign started with a defeat at Bayern Munich, but they bounced back with wins over Benfica and Ajax. They sit 11th in their group with six points, level with 13th-placed Qarabag.

“They beat Benfica and Copenhagen, and they were ahead against Athletic Bilbao before losing in the end. It’ll be a tough game for different reasons,” Maresca said.

The Chelsea manager also praised Qarabag’s long-serving coach Gurban Gurbanov, who has won 11 Azerbaijan Premier League titles since taking charge in 2008.

“Something I’ve never seen. It’s unbelievable—17 years with the same club. Amazing,” Maresca added.

On injury updates, Maresca confirmed that midfielder Cole Palmer remains sidelined with a groin problem and may not return before Chelsea’s home match against Barcelona on November 25. Centre-back Benoit Badiashile could be available after the international break, providing a boost for the squad.