Maresca Confident Chelsea Can Handle Champions League Showdown Pressure

Chelsea’s manager, Enzo Maresca, has expressed full confidence in the club’s ability to withstand the mounting pressure as they prepare for a crucial clash against Nottingham Forest that could determine their Champions League qualification.

Chelsea travel to the City Ground on Sunday knowing a win will all but secure their return to Europe’s premier club competition.

Currently fifth on goal difference ahead of Aston Villa, the Blues sit just a point clear of seventh-placed Forest in an exceptionally tight race for the top five, which guarantees Champions League football.

Having missed out on the competition for the past two seasons, Chelsea are eager to re-establish themselves on the European stage.

Forest, meanwhile, are chasing their first Champions League appearance since the 1980/81 campaign, adding further drama to what is expected to be a tense encounter in front of a packed home crowd.

When asked whether his players could cope with the magnitude of the occasion, Maresca said, “When you join Chelsea, you feel pressure from day one. You don’t need a game like this to feel more or less pressure. I’ve felt it since the day I joined.”

Chelsea’s away form has been inconsistent this season, with just seven wins in 18 league games on the road, in contrast to their strong home record of 12 victories from 19 matches.

“Sometimes we played away and didn’t deserve to lose or draw,” Maresca explained. “But if we’re struggling away, there’s a reason, and we’ll take the break to understand why.”

Regardless of Sunday’s outcome, Chelsea’s attention will quickly shift to their UEFA Conference League final against Real Betis in Wroclaw on Wednesday — a chance to end Maresca’s turbulent first season with silverware.

The Italian admitted he would need to rotate his squad for the European final due to the physical demands of the Forest match.

“For now, our focus is on Sunday. That’s the most important match,” Maresca stated. “After that, we’ll think about Wednesday. We don’t have much time to recover, so we’ll need to rotate and make some changes.”