Chelsea supervisor Enzo Maresca admits he’s “anxious” about enjoying on a much-criticised synthetic floor within the semi-final of the Convention League.
The Blues face Djurgarden on Thursday night on a pitch even the Swedish membership’s supervisor Jani Honkavaara described as “horrible” after a match in opposition to GAIS final week.
His criticism of the the 3Arena pitch has been echoed by Djurgarden’s gamers and rival managers.
Work has been carried out to enhance the standard of the floor by including further sand forward of the upcoming match in opposition to Chelsea.
However Maresca, who has spent the previous couple of days analysing Djurgarden by watching their final six matches, is conscious the pitch might trigger points.
“For positive, for positive. It may be a priority. I am somewhat bit anxious about that. It is utterly totally different [to grass],” he stated.
“I do know that within the final weeks even a few of their gamers have been complaining concerning the pitch. They play each week, so for us it is a totally different one.
“However there are not any excuses, no the explanation why we aren’t going to compete tomorrow and the second recreation in any respect.”
Regardless of the pitch, Chelsea stay big favourites to advance. In Uefa’s league rankings, the Premier League is first and Swedish Allsvenskan is twentieth, with Chelsea’s squad price 44 occasions extra, based on Transfermarkt.
However Maresca stated he wouldn’t relaxation gamers regardless of Chelsea internet hosting Liverpool on Sunday with Champions League qualification nonetheless within the stability, including: “We aren’t in a second the place we are able to say we resolve to save lots of gamers.
“It is a semi-final, it is a European competitors and we need to be within the closing.”
Christopher Nkunku and Robert Sanchez haven’t travelled for the match after selecting up minor accidents and are being assessed however Chelsea have their strongest obtainable squad in Sweden.
Maresca added: “Now that we’re within the semi-final, the following goal is the ultimate, after which as soon as, if we’re capable of attain the ultimate, we go for the title.
“It is an enormous title, as a result of it is a European competitors, and we may give this membership the chance to be the one membership on the earth to win all of the European competitions. It is also a duty for me, a duty for the gamers to get that.”
Captain Reece James beforehand stated Chelsea “disrespected the competitors” after a shock 2-1 defeat by Legia Warsaw within the final spherical, though the Blues nonetheless progressed 4-2 on combination.
