Chelsea return to Premier League action against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday and Enzo Maresca has been speaking to the media ahead of the tie.
The Blues were beaten by Sunderland in their last Premier League outing, dropping down to ninth in the Premier League table as a result.
John Obi Mikel thinks Chelsea will struggle to challenge for the title in their current state, and they now face another tough test this weekend.
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Tottenham have lost one of their last five league matches and sit third in the division prior to the weekend’s action.
Enzo Maresca looks on before a friendly between Chelsea and Bayer Leverkusen
Photo by Chelsea Football Club/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Enzo Maresca on Cole Palmer ahead of Chelsea facing Tottenham
Ahead of Saturday’s meeting, Enzo Maresca spoke to the media on Friday and discussed a number of topics.
Among them was Liam Delap, to whom the Italian has sent a clear message following his recent red card against Wolves.
He said: “I don’t need to speak with Liam. I spoke with him but he knows everything. He is aware of the situation. He knows he made the mistake. Full stop, no more than that.”
The Chelsea manager then backed Delap to become a fantastic player for the Blues.
He added: “I‘m not from England, so sometimes when I try to translate from Italian to English, it’s a bit different. When Liam is on the pitch, he is more focused to try his battle with the defender. That’s what I was trying to say.
“There are three players in this team that I know better than the rest, Lavia, Palmer and Delap because I knew them from City U21s. I know Liam will be a fantastic player for us, but there are some things he can improve.”
Maresca was then asked for a Cole Palmer injury update, saying: “I just met him in the canteen for breakfast and I said to him, in one week ‘you will be back’ and he was laughing. We are still waiting.”
Cole Palmer celebrates scoring a goal during Chelsea's Champions League defeat against Bayern Munich
Photo by Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Chelsea and Tottenham head-to-head record
The two London outfits last faced off on April 3, 2025, when Enzo Fernandez scored the only goal of the game at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea have dominated this fixture throughout history, picking up 81 wins compared to Spurs’ 56.
The Blues have been especially successful in recent years, losing just one of the last 12 clashes in all competitions.
Tottenham last beat Chelsea on February 26, 2023, when Graham Potter was in charge.
Oliver Skipp and Harry Kane were the goalscorers in the 2-0 win.