Enzo Maresca has explained why Chelsea will give Liverpool a guard of honour. The Blues will face Arne Slot's side at Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon as they look to climb the Premier League table.
Chelsea will be determined to extend their five-match unbeaten streak in the English top flight, with UEFA Champions League qualification up for grabs. The west Londoners are currently fifth, with just seven goals separating them from Nottingham Forest in sixth.
Nuno Espirito Santo's side squandered the chance to leapfrog Chelsea when they locked horns with Brentford on Thursday night. The Bees defeated Forest 2-0 at the G-Tech Community Stadium.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the Liverpool clash, Maresca was asked if the Blues need similar experience to reach the next level. The Italian said: "For sure, if you want to close the gap with these kind of clubs then, for sure, you have to do things.
"Our team next season will be better also in terms of experience, because this season has been one more year together. There are ones who are growing, like Levi, for instance.
"He is growing a lot in terms of leadership. For sure, next sure he will be better and better. Hopefully, the ones that we have, they can grow and help us in terms of experience."
On the guard of honour for Liverpool, Maresca added: "Yes. It’s tradition. We have to do that, and we are going to do that. They won the Premier League, so they deserve it.
"In terms of the gap (between Chelsea and Liverpool), it is there, you can see this clearly. My feeling is we are (moving) in the right direction and hopefully this gap can be smaller and smaller and smaller.
"The difference is they have been consistent compared to us. For part of the season, we were very good, then we lost some games. This has probably been the main reason why.
"And also in terms of experienced players that know how to win games and these kinds of things, I think they have something more compared to us."
Speaking to reporters at the AXA Training Centre on Friday, Slot revealed that he plans to shuffle the pack for the Chelsea clash. As quoted by the Liverpool ECHO, the Reds manager said: "It's four games we are trying to win, what we always want.
"Everyone with a Liverpool shirt should aim for. I would look at the amount of points now to teams who won it with four games to go before. My line-ups will be different to what we've had the last ten months, won't change everyone, but there will be some rotation.
"Not to say we will lose - we have a lot of trust in those players - but it would be more honest to judge points total now to the ones in the past, with four games to go.
"I think some of the players deserved to play earlier because they have trained so well and are good enough, but I mainly chose the same players, so I see where they are looking ahead to next season, a bit, but also because they deserve to play this season."
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Chelsea flag prior the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Leg One match between Chelsea FC and Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge. (Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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