Chelsea must not underestimate Heidenheim test, says Maresca

Enzo Maresca insists his Chelsea players must be mentally prepared for the challenge Heidenheim will pose in tomorrow's Europa Conference League match.

Chelsea, along with Heidenheim, are one of six teams with a perfect record in the competition so far, though The Blues being the leader in the rankings of 36 teams, with sixteen goals in three games.

The Blues' superior goal difference was helped by their 8–0 thrashing of Noah in their last match, scoring six goals in the first half, which was the biggest lead by an English side at half-time of a major European match since Derby County. won 9-0 against Finn Harps in the 1976/77 UEFA Cup.

Although Chelsea have already sidelined the teams ahead of them in the competition so far, Maresca does not want complacency to undermine his side's performance against the Bundesliga club.

“I enjoy every match in this competition, knowing that every club is trying to make it their big match,” Maresca said.

“The problem for us can be that if we are not mentally ready, and we underestimate a team, they can hurt us. So we have to be ready for it.

“It is an important competition, a European competition. Since we started, we have tried to share minutes with all the players in the squad.

“Some [Conference League] games we also used some young players. So we'll see. At the moment that's how it is and hopefully we can continue like this.”

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With the hectic December fixture list starting on Sunday with Aston Villa's visit to Stamford Bridge, a number of players have not traveled with the squad.

However, Maresca provided a positive update on Malo Gusto and Pedro Neto, who were both absent for their 2-1 win over Leicester City on Saturday.

“Both trained with us,” he said. “We're not taking any risks for tomorrow's match, but I think they should both be available for Sunday's match [against Aston Villa].”