Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca remained cautious ahead of facing Southampton as he expects tough fight from the Saints.
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Maresca cautious ahead of facing SouthamptonExpects a tough fight from the SaintsChelsea take on Southampton on WednesdayFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
The Blues have made a strong start under new boss Maresca in the 2024-25 campaign. They have leapfrogged defending champions Manchester City in the Premier League table and are currently joint-second with Arsenal on 25 points from 13 matches. In contrast, Southampton have won just one game out of their first 13 outings and currently find themselves at the bottom of the table with five points.
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Despite the gulf in quality between Chelsea and the Saints, Maresca believes that a difficult challenge awaits them on Wednesday at St Mary's Stadium. The Italian coach, who faced Southampton last season in the Championship as Leicester's manager, spoke highly of the team's abilities and warned his players that Wednesday's away fixture could be one of the most difficult games they play in the 2024-25 campaign.
WHAT ENZO MARESCA SAID
Speaking to reporters, the 44-year-old said: "This is the worst game for us since we started the season. The toughest game and we need to be ready, otherwise it will be a bad day for us. If you analyse the results, they are there [at the bottom of the table] but in terms of performance, they are very good. They were leading against Liverpool, only lost 1-0 to Manchester City and they drew in the last game against Brighton.
"I was in the Championship with Southampton last season and I know how good they are. They are very brave, they want to keep the ball and for sure this will be a very difficult game for us and we need to be ready."
Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA?
After facing Southampton in the away fixture in midweek, the Blues will next take on Tottenham in a London derby on Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.