Maresca: Winning Conference League would show Chelsea are back

Enzo Maresca says winning the Conference League would show Chelsea are “back” as a trophy-winning force.

The Blues are on course for the final – they lead 4-1 from the first leg going into Thursday’s semi-final second leg at home to Swedish side Djurgarden.

The final will be against Real Betis or Fiorentina in Wroclaw, Poland, on 28 May.

“For me, winning a trophy, the Conference League, is a statement to say Chelsea is back,” boss Maresca declared.

“Firstly, you win a trophy and then, if Real Madrid or different clubs didn’t play the Conference League, it’s because the Conference League is not the level they were at.

“If we play in the Conference League, it’s because that’s where we are – we need to start from there.

“It’s the only trophy that Chelsea didn’t win in the past and Chelsea can become the first club in Europe to win all the European competitions, so it’s also good for the club.

“From there we will try to win the semi and final. It is a good place to start to build a winners’ mentality to win games and trophies.

“In the future we hope we can be in different competitions but at the moment the reality is the reality.”

Chelsea have been strong favourites to win the competition and Maresca believes they have dealt with the expectation well.

“You have to do the job and the most important thing is also to convince the players that there are no easy games. Any game can be tricky,” he said.