Chelsea are back at Stamford Bridge on Saturday in the Premier League, hosting our neighbours in this most local of London derbies.

Fulham have been building year-on-year under the management of Marco Silva and finished 11th in the table last season, following their best-ever Premier League campaign in terms of points.

Maresca believes that shows the quality the Cottagers possess, which we will need to be wary of come kick-off at the Bridge at 12.30pm, as the visitors look for their first win of 2025/26.

‘They are solid, they are well organised, play nice football, are very strong, and it’s not random that they are doing well,’ said our head coach.

‘Last year was a record for points in the Premier League for Fulham. It shows how good Marco is and the players are. It’s a game, like always, where we have to be careful.’

In last week’s big away win at West Ham United, Maresca opted to field new strikers Joao Pedro and Liam Delap together in his starting line-up.

When asked if that is likely to be a regular occurrence, possibly including tomorrow’s match, the Italian explained those choices are all about finding the right combinations in his side to break down each opponent.

‘We have been the team with more changes in the entire season, last season, so I am not looking for just two players to play always,’ he added. ‘I’m looking for different solutions.

‘For sure, they can play together, but it’s the game plan that demands whether it is one or both. So, we will see.’

Saturday’s match against Fulham is our last before the first of this season’s international breaks, and Maresca finished by underlining the need to use that time to help the players recharge their batteries, after such a short break between the FIFA Club World Cup final and the start of the current campaign.

‘We will be off, especially for the players. It will be a good time for us, but for the players not going with their international team, they need to recover. No holiday, but we will try to recover the energy,’ Enzo confirmed.

Before that opportunity to rest, however, we will need to navigate our way past Fulham in a west London derby at the Bridge, with the early kick-off giving us the chance to go top of the table with a victory.

Digital tickets are being issued for all matches at Stamford Bridge this season. Read our What You Need To Know guide to be ready for Fulham – and we urge you to arrive early to ensure you are in your seat for kick-off!