Enzo Maresca has just conducted his pre-match press conference ahead of Chelsea's FIFA Club World Cup last 16 match against Benfica on Saturday evening.
The [Blues](https://www.football.london/chelsea-fc) take on the Portuguese side at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte as they bid for a place in the quarter-final in Philadelphia. [Maresca](https://www.football.london/all-about/enzo-maresca) has now previewed the clash with less than 24 hours until it gets underway. Below, **football.london** has transcribed every single word the Chelsea head coach had to say:
**Are you underdogs?**
No, I think Benfica, not only in this competition, I think overall always show to be a big club in Europe. The last game they beat Bayern Munich, so this shows how good they are and what they are able to do. Any game is different, so it doesn't matter if in the past they didn't beat Chelsea. Every game is tough, it's complicated and anything can happen.
**What's your stance on Josh Acheampong's future?**
The clubs that you mentioned, they like Josh, but we also like Josh. Good players, any club likes good players. My idea or my plan with Josh is quite clear. I said many times that I really like Josh. I think he potentially can be a top defender for this club. It's on him to have the right timing to do the things. We are full of young players here, full of talented players, even defenders. So I think the best plan for Josh is to be with us and I'm very happy if he's going to be with us.
**Balanced game tomorrow?**
No, I think it's going to be a balanced game. In this tournament, I think at this stage, with this condition, it's very difficult to see a big difference between clubs, between teams. So I'm quite sure that it's going to be a balanced game, a tough game. And also, in this kind of games, probably also the small details are very important.
**How pleased are you with Enzo Fernandez?**
Very pleased with Enzo, especially because, first of all, he's a nice boy, he's polite, he's a good boy. And then because with us, since we started, he's working very well in all the aspects, inside the pitch, outside the pitch.
We said already many times that with us, this season's struggle will be at the beginning to understand the way we want to play. But then he's doing fantastic, also in terms of numbers, goal assist. And this is what we want from our attacking players. I said many times that I prefer to have the attacking players score 10-12 goals each than just a striker with 40 goals. And Enzo, his contribution this season has been top, and for sure next season will be even better.
**In terms of the tactical battle, how do you see the game tomorrow?**
The games I watch, it's quite clear what they do on the ball and off the ball. The way they want to attack, the way they want to defend. I also watch the game playing in different shape with the five at the back. We expect anything. The most important thing is the way we prepare ourselves. As I just said, now it's very complicated in this moment for many reasons To see games where the difference between the two teams is a big difference. In this moment, they are all more or less very close. And for me, it's a game where the details are going to mark the difference.
**Miami training base easier than Philadelphia?**
I don't know, to be honest .I don't know the answer. I don't know. The only thing I can say is that the difference between Philadelphia and Miami is not a huge difference. It's quite similar. I don't know if you were there this morning or when. But it's quite similar.
There is not a big difference. And then, I don't think that the team that is going to win is a team or a club that is going to play slow forward. Probably the tempo of the games is also dictated from the condition, the weather. It's very difficult for 90 minutes, 95 minutes to be high-pressing, to be intense, the way we try to be always during the Premier League. But we're going to try to do our best.
**With every round, do you want to be more intense then?**
Knowing that it's difficult, we try to be intense. As I said, knowing that it's difficult because 90 minutes, 95 minutes, with 30 degrees, 34, 35, it's quite difficult.
**How much have you warned players that it goes up a level now, the whole competition?****How much do you think that having come through the Conference League successfully can help you with experience in this knockout phase?**
I don't see the Conference League important for this competition. I think the players are aware that now it's a knockout game. Previously, we were in a group on the stage. Now we are in a knockout game. It's a knockout game. Anything can happen. But it's not just for us, it's for any club. The players are aware that in this moment, the team that is going to make more mistakes is probably the team that the day after is back to home.
**How is Andrey Santos settling?**
Andrey is working with us, he's working well. He worked already with us last summer in the pre-season, so we know Andrey a little bit. His season has been very good, but I think you need time to adapt. The important thing is that he's working well. And then in terms of position, I see Andrey in this moment more like Enzo's position than Moises or Romeo's position.
And the reason why is because we are here in this moment for this tournament, but we also need to plan for next season, which is the Premier League. And you know that in the Premier League, first of all, you need to be physically strong, because the Premier League demands to be physically strong. So in this moment, I see Andrey as a more attacking midfielder than a defensive midfielder.
**If you win tomorrow, you get six days off before the next match. So I'm just wondering how important will that be to refresh your players who've had this massive season and to be able to give some extra energy for the last rounds?**
Exactly. First of all, we need to do our job tomorrow. And as you said, in case we win, we're going to play the next game in six days. The plan at the moment is tomorrow's game and then a few days off, and then prepare for the next game. But as I said, you cannot prepare for the next game if we don't win tomorrow. So first of all, focus on tomorrow's game, all the attention for tomorrow, and hopefully we can win.
**Is Romeo Lavia in a different place fitness-wise now?**
I said a few times this season that with Romeo and Reece, last season they played almost zero games. So you cannot expect this season to play 40 games. You have to be happy if they play 15, 20 games. And the next season is when they have to play 25, 30, because you cannot go from zero games to 40 games. It's impossible. Romeo last year played zero games. Wes last year played zero games. Reece played a few games.
And this season, all of them, they have played more. Now we finish this tournament, then we have some days off, and then we're going to start again. And hopefully in the next season, these three players that I just mentioned, they can play more games, because Chelsea with Wes, with Romeo, with Reece, it's a better team.
**Do you want to keep Trevoh Chalobah?**
No, in this moment, all the players that are here with us, I don't want to lose them. But then we said many times that when the window is open, unfortunately, anything can happen. To buy a player or to sell a player. Trevoh came back with us in January. If we did the Champions League spot in the top four, it's also because of Trevoh. He helped us a lot. In this moment, he played also some games here. He is with us. We are happy with him. Then, as I said, unfortunately, when the window is open, anything can happen, but not only for Trevoh, but for the 25 players of the squad.