Early kick-off at Newcastle United lamentable, says Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca
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Enzo Maresca said the team will adapt and prepare with Champions League places at stake.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LONDON – Chelsea’s noon kick-off at Newcastle United in the English Premier League on May 11 is not ideal after their midweek Conference League game, but the team will adapt and prepare with Champions League places at stake, manager Enzo Maresca has said.
The Blues beat Swedish side Djurgarden
Chelsea are fifth in the standings with 63 points and a goal difference of 21 – the same as Newcastle, who are fourth having scored four more goals than the London side this season.
“It’s a 12pm kick-off and we played on Thursday night, so it’s not the ideal situation... It’s first thing in the morning. But we need to play the game,” Maresca said.
“So we need to adapt immediately, prepare for the game in the best way and, hopefully, we can continue our good moment.
“We have two days and the players need to be focused on the Newcastle game... For us, we have to think like it’s the last game of the season, give everything and then we see at the end.”
With the top-five teams guaranteed to qualify for the Champions League, the battle could go down to the final day of the season, with sides like Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa also in the mix.
Chelsea still have their destiny in their own hands and Maresca said he was not looking at the various permutations with games against Manchester United and Forest to follow.
“It’s a big one, it’s a huge one (against Newcastle). 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,” the Italian said. “We’re going to try to win the three games that we have.
“Now, how many points (do) we need to finish in the top five? No idea, because it also depends on the other results.
“But we need to be focused on us and try to win the three games. Then if it’s two or one, we don’t know, but the focus is to try to win the three games we have.”
Meanwhile, manager Eddie Howe has challenged Newcastle to meet his expectations by qualifying for the Champions League.
Some Magpies fans might already be satisfied with the season after winning the League Cup final against Liverpool at Wembley in March to end the club’s 56-year trophy drought.
But asked if that triumph had lifted the pressure off Newcastle, Howe told reporters: “We feel an expectation, certainly internally, to try to deliver Champions League football.
“It was an expectation that we placed upon ourselves, so I get what you’re trying to say, but I don’t necessarily feel that way internally.” REUTERS, AFP
