(Image: Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
Newcastle United host Chelsea on Sunday with a 12noon kick off in what is shaping up to be a crucial Premier League clash. Both teams are in the race for Champions League qualification, level on points at the top of the table.
The game has been put back 24 hours due to Chelsea's Conference League semi-final. The Blues duly completed their passage to the final with a comfortable aggregate win over Djurgarden on Thursday night, and immediately turned their attention to the game at St James' Park.
While Eddie Howe held his pre-match Press conference on Friday morning, Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca was speaking after the Djurgarden game. In a preview of the game, he was asked about Sandro Tonali, Alexander Isak and the St James' Park atmosphere and also referenced Newcastle having an 'aggressive' style of play.
Here is what the Italian had to say on Newcastle. For more detail, see his full transcript on football.london.
How big is a trip to Newcastle?
It's a big one, it's a huge one. United will be a big one, Forest will be a big one. Now we have three more games, all of them are going to be big games. For sure, Sunday is a chance to start in the right way. We are in a good run, in a good mood and hopefully we can play a good game and win the game.
Can we expect a similar line-up to that which played against Liverpool last weekend?
From us? Yeah, we'll see. We'll see. We'll try the first result against Djurgarden, also give us a little bit of a chance to rotate tonight and to protect players. But we have still now tomorrow and Saturday to prepare the game and then we'll see.
Early kick-off affect your preparations?
It's not the ideal situation. It's 12 o'clock in the morning, it's first thing in the morning, but we need to play the game. So we need to adapt immediately, prepare the game in the best way and as I said, hopefully we can continue our good moment.
How are you going to get your players to forget tonight and refocus themselves to make sure the European is put aside for the finish of the Premier League season?
Tomorrow we're going to start to prepare Newcastle. We have two days, tomorrow and Saturday. The players need to be focused on the Newcastle game because it's the next one and for us, it has to be like thinking that it's the last game of the season, give everything and then we'll see at the end.
Midfield battle will be important. What have you made of Sandro Tonali this season?
Sandro probably this season has been top for Newcastle. For him, he's doing very well. He's a fantastic player. I know him since he was in Brescia and then moved to Milan and then now here in England.
He's a fantastic player, he's doing well but they have many, many good players. They are different players. We're going to try to prepare the game in the best way, in the way that we think we can win the game and hopefully at the end we can be happy with the result.
Do you actually prefer these type of games where the opponent will actually give it a go against you?
Yeah, they are very aggressive. They are very aggressive, especially when we are on our side. It's a team that is aggressive, they go man to man. Probably when they are on their side, they are more medium block, low block. But it's a team that also physically they are very strong and they are very aggressive.
Do you think that brings the best out of your team?
I hope so. I hope so. We play games against teams, low block against teams that they are, they try to be aggressive and we made some good games in both situations. Hopefully Sunday we can have a good game.
Newcastle's midfield has been praised plenty this season. Are you hoping Enzo Fernandez, Romeo Lavia and Moises Caicedo can become such a key component of your team in the future?
Yeah, for sure. I think after Liverpool game some of you asked me and said to me that we repeat the first 11 after six months. I mean, Everton and Liverpool. we play with same 11 after six months. It's important when you can continue with same players because it's very important. Now we have Romeo back that is fit, Moi is doing well, Enzo is doing well, Cole is doing well. And they also have Bruno Guimaraes, Tonali, Murphy and Joelinton that now is injured. They have different kind of players that they are good players and I expect for sure a huge game.
Is stopping Alexander Isak the key to stopping Newcastle?
I think Isak is a top player but it's not enough. There are more players so we need to work as a team and we need to stop them as a team.
The early kick-off isn't ideal for you in terms of tonight and then but Newcastle is a place with a quite intimidating atmosphere. Do you hope the fact that it's so early in the day lessens that a little bit?
You think? [laughs]
You never know, it might happen.
Yeah, exactly. I don't know. I don't know. But for sure the environment will be top. The players, they're going to embrace that and they're going to deal with that, no doubt.