As one of the pioneers of ‘Total Football’ – a tactically innovative and thrilling brand of football – in the early 1970s, Ajax, led by the great Johan Cruyff, won three consecutive European Cups.

That philosophy has been ingrained in the Dutch giants ever since, with Cruyff’s legacy living on in the shape of Ajax’s home stadium, which is named after him.

It is at Stamford Bridge where the two teams will meet on matchday three of the Champions League, and Maresca is ready to meet the challenge head on.

‘They are a team that always tries to play in the DNA of the club so for sure it will be a tough game,’ he said.

‘In the past and in the present, they try to play their kind of football. Also, they are a club that has won this competition in the past, so they want to prove to everyone they are coming here to do their best to beat us – and we are going to try and do exactly the same.’

The Blues head into the game with a win and a loss from our opening two fixtures in our first Champions League campaign since 2022/23.

Maresca has already noted the steps forward his team have taken, and he expects that progress to continue as we head deeper into the tournament.

‘It’s a nice competition because you play against fantastic clubs,’ the head coach enthused.

‘In the first game, Bayern Munich away, we were not happy with the result, but we tried to play face to face for 90 minutes against a club that in the last six or seven years always reached the quarter-finals, semi-finals, final.

‘Benfica we tried to prepare in the best way to win, which we did. When you play these kinds of clubs – Bayern, Benfica, Ajax – there are always things you can learn after the game. It’s going to be exactly the same after the final whistle against Ajax.’