The Blues travel to Nottingham Forest on Sunday with Champions League qualification on the line, but despite the high stakes involved, the head coach says it is business as usual down at Cobham. He has also discussed the role pressure could play across the board in the Premier League this weekend.

‘I can see the players in exactly the same way they were for almost the whole season,’ Maresca stated.

‘They are aware this is the game, an important game, the last one, and the most important one because if we are able to finish well it’s a good thing for everyone at Chelsea.

‘When you join Chelsea, you feel the pressure from day one. You don’t need to play this kind of game to feel more pressure or less pressure. It’s a club where you need to win games and we have won many this season, but we need one more and it’s the most important one.'

‘At this stage of the season there is pressure on all the clubs involved,’ added Maresca. ‘Probably the expectation weighs more heavily on our players than the Forest players, but if their players don’t feel pressure, it’s not something I’m worried about. I’m worried about our team and how we can win the game.’

The Blues travel to the City Ground with one win from our last 10 away league games, and having scored the fewest goals of anyone on the road in 2025.

However, Maresca noted the grit his side have shown in our two most recent away trips. We battled back to beat Fulham on Easter Sunday, and more recently gave Newcastle a real scare despite playing the entirety of the second half with ten men.

‘[Our away form] is something during the summer we have to analyse to understand the reason why,’ Maresca acknowledged.

‘I also said many times I like to analyse game by game. We played some games away we didn’t deserve to lose, or even to draw – like Palace away we were much better and deserved to win. On the other side, we have won almost all the games at home, so there is a good side, not only a bad side.'

When asked about the mentality of his players, he added: ‘I don’t think there is a mental problem. Even the last game away at Newcastle, they showed resilience, they showed effort, and overall we didn’t deserve to lose that game, even with ten players. It’s not mental.’

Maresca knows similar character is required at the City Ground on Sunday as we look to secure Champions League qualification.