Chelsea return to Stamford Bridge on Sunday in another crucial contest against Leicester City, with Enzo Maresca highlighting the importance of the incredible support from the Blues faithful.
After securing victory in Copenhagen on Thursday night, our focus has shifted back to domestic action. And as we prepare to go in search of back-to-back Premier League victories, Maresca has called upon the Chelsea supporters to continue to provide their unconditional backing for the team throughout the encounter.
Having once again witnessed their incredible support first-hand in the Danish capital, Maresca underlined the significant role that the home crowd can play in helping the Blues take another step toward their ambitions.
Our head coach opened: ‘The most important thing, let me say, is that we need our fans on Sunday for 90 minutes or 100 minutes. We need to win the game.
‘They were there with us supporting the team in Copenhagen, and now the most important thing is Sunday’s game. We need them because winning on Sunday can take us one more step towards our target.’
Tomorrow's game carries additional significance for Maresca, who guided Leicester City to Premier League promotion last season before moving to SW6.
The Italian remembers his time with the Foxes fondly and revealed that he spoke to the current Leciester boss – and friend – Ruud van Nistelrooy before he took the job at the King Power Stadium.
On Leicester, Maresca said: ‘I am more than 30 years in football and you struggle to find people who are so nice, where they care about the family, about the kids, about everything. They are fantastic.
‘Ruud is a friend of mine after we played together and after that, we have stayed in contact. So when Leicester called \[Ruud about the job\], he called me and I just said Leicester is a fantastic club. So I told him many positive things about Leicester.’