Enzo Maresca highlights his own Chelsea achievements ahead of Jose Mourinho’s return to Stamford Bridge

Enzo Maresca is relishing the prospect of facing Chelsea “legend” Jose Mourinho tomorrow night but hinted there would be no inferiority complex after talking up his own record at Stamford Bridge.

Mourinho returns to West London with Benfica in the Champions League and will come up against Italian Maresca, who had to read reports his job was under threat over the weekend following Saturday’s 3-1 defeat at home to Brighton.

It seems inconceivable Chelsea would consider a change in the dugout less than three months after Maresca led the club to the Club World Cup title with a 3-0 thrashing of European champions Paris Saint-Germain and the former Leicester boss was in bullish mood at his press conference this lunchtime.

He said: “We need to be positive because first of all it is what the players need. Secondly, because I think there is no reason to be negative.

“This morning the club showed me a stat that in the last six months we lost five games, four of them with a red card [for a Chelsea player].

“For sure we like to win games, but also the reality is there is not any pressure. The only pressure is that being at Chelsea as a player or a manager you need to win games, there is no doubt, but the reality is that for different reasons, injury or red cards, we lost five games in six months.

“I think it is something that is not bad.”

An honour to face Jose Mourinho – Maresca

Mourinho’s presence adds another layer of intrigue to the speculation around Maresca’s position but the 45-year-old was looking forward to welcoming the Blues’ former boss back to the Bridge.

“It’s an absolute honour to be facing Jose Mourinho tomorrow,” he added. “He is not just a legend at this club, he is a legend at a lot of clubs. It will be a privilege to face Jose tomorrow.”

Maresca doesn’t feel intimidated, however, by the pictures of the Portuguese that adorn the club’s training ground.

He said: “I [am also] in some pictures with the Club World Cup, so I feel already lucky with that after one season. And also with the Conference League.”

Benfica will be different under Mourinho

Chelsea thrashed Benfica 4-1 at the Club World Cup but Mourinho’s recent arrival at the Lisbon club, in place of Bruno Lage, mean the visitors will have an extra motivation tomorrow.

“They have played three or four games with Jose [Mourinho]. All the games I started to watch unfortunately was with the former manager,” said Maresca. 

“I also watched some games when Jose was with Manchester United or Roma, but for sure it will be a completely different game than the Club World Cup game.

“We try to prepare every game to win the game. And hopefully we can do that tomorrow.”