1 year ago
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Mark OgdenJul 11, 2025, 03:04 PM ET
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Enzo Maresca said helium volition dainty Sunday's FIFA Club World Cup last against Paris Saint-Germain "like a chess match" aft claiming his Chelsea broadside indispensable bushed the "best squad successful the world" erstwhile they look the European champions.
PSG, who sealed a home league, cupful and Champions League treble with a 5-0 Champions League last triumph against Inter Milan successful May, spell into the New Jersey clash arsenic beardown favourites to triumph and go the archetypal winners of the 32-team tournament.
But with Maresca confirming that midfielder Moisés Caicedo is connected people to beryllium acceptable for the crippled aft returning to grooming pursuing an ankle injury, the Chelsea caput manager says that his squad tin propulsion disconnected a daze and bushed Luis Enrique's squad -- by adopting a chess strategy.
"I emotion to play chess and ticker chess," Maresca told reporters. "I consciousness shot is similar a crippled of chess and erstwhile the rival makes a move, you person to counteract it and I deliberation this volition beryllium similar a chess game.
"They [PSG] are a apical squad successful Europe and the world, possibly the champion successful the world, but each crippled is antithetic and we volition effort to bash a bully game.
"For definite it volition beryllium difficult, but each games are difficult. Fluminense bushed Inter and they reached the Champions League final; Al Hilal bushed Manchester City.
"Botafogo bushed PSG successful this contention and did a precise bully job, but our benignant is antithetic to Botafogo.
"PSG is champion squad successful satellite and they person showed that successful this tournament, showed it successful France and successful the Champions League. Of people it'll beryllium a hard crippled for us, but we are preparing ourselves successful champion mode possible.
"We person maximum respect for them. I said earlier that I truly bask watching them, but we are present to bash our champion and effort to triumph the final.
"All games are difficult, truthful we person to instrumentality them successful their ain way, but we are not changing thing we person already done. We person our benignant and we person showed however we privation to bash things."
Maresca, meanwhile, said that midfielder Caicedo has a bully accidental of playing connected Sunday aft suffering an ankle wounded successful the semifinal triumph against Fluminense.
"Caicedo is recovering rather nicely, we saw a small spot this greeting and it looks similar helium is coming on well," Maresca said. "Moises is simply a immense portion of our team, a precise important subordinate and this greeting helium did instrumentality portion successful training."
Chelsea volition beryllium without winger Noni Madueke aft sanctioning a £50 cardinal transfer to Premier League rivals Arsenal.
And Maresca said that Chelsea agreed to the transportation aft it go wide that England planetary Madueke wanted to determination to the Emirates.
"I ever accidental that if players privation to leave, astatine the extremity it is hard for the nine and the manager," Maresca said. "Noni decided helium wants to leave. Nobody said helium had to.
"Noni decided to leave, truthful if helium is happy, we are happy."
