Chelsea's quest for UCL qualification faces 'huge' Newcastle United hurdle

London, May 9 (IANS) Following Chelsea’s victory over Djurgarden in the semifinals of the UEFA Conference League, Enzo Maresca spoke about the three Premier League finals the Blues have to play, starting with Newcastle United, before taking on Real Betis in the ultimate clash.

Maresca’s men travel to St. James knowing a victory over a Champions League qualification rival would be a massive step forward in their efforts to finish in the top five.

Maresca’s men have picked up three league wins on the bounce at a crucial time in the season, and he is confident they can maintain that momentum at St James’ Park.

“It’s a big one, it’s a huge one. Manchester United will be a big one. Nottingham Forest will be a big one. Each of them will be big games, and on Sunday, it’s the chance to start in the right way. We are on a good run, in a good mood, and hopefully we can play a good game and win.

“We are going to try to win the three games we have. How many points do we need to finish top five? No idea because it depends on the other results. We just need to be focused on ourselves and try to win the three games. That is the focus,” said Maresca in the pre-game conference.

Given the congestion of fixtures this season, every Premier League side including Chelsea have had to navigate injuries. Maresca was able to name an unchanged starting XI for their last to games but is yet to decide if he will stick with the same side that defeated champions Liverpool 3-1 last week.

“We will see. The first result against Djurgarden gave us the chance to rotate and protect players for the second leg. But we still have today and Saturday to prepare for the game, and then we will see.

“It’s a noon kick-off and we played on Thursday night, so it’s not the ideal situation, but we need to play and we need to adapt immediately, prepare for the game in the best way, and hopefully continue our good moment.

“We have two days, and the players need to be focused on the Newcastle game because it’s the next one. For us, we have to think like it’s the last game of the season, give everything, and then we see at the end [of the game],” he added.

--IANS

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