Enzo Maresca's perfect Chelsea chance awaits vs Leicester in Champions League quest | OneFootball

If Chelsea were offered third place after 11 games in the Premier League this season, Enzo Maresca would've snapped your hand off at the possibility.

Maresca's side have done just that. Chelsea have claimed 19 points from a possible 33, which included facing the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal.

Things are looking rosy for Chelsea as this stands and come the end of 2024, the position the Blues could find themselves in is extremely promising.

After a run of fixtures which were deemed the third trickiest across the Premier League to begin the season, as revealed by Opta, Chelsea's upcoming schedule looks to be kinder on paper, with all three newly-promoted sides - Leicester City, Southampton and Ipswich Town - all to come before the year concludes.

The main objective for Chelsea this season is to clinch a top four spot to secure Champions League qualification for 2025-26, and they are currently on course to achieve their target.

A huge opportunity awaits Chelsea in the coming weeks and it begins at the King Power Stadium on Saturday lunchtime. Maresca will need to overcome his former side Leicester, who he faces for the first time since leaving the club in the summer, and it will not only give him bragging rights over the Foxes, but also a momentum builder.

Enzo Maresca and Noni Madueke celebrating Chelsea's goal against Nottingham Forest in October 2024. / IMAGO / Action Plus

After Leicester, Aston Villa, Southampton, Spurs, Brentford, Everton, Fulham and Ipswich Town all await in the league. Chelsea should be targeting to win all eight matches, which would leave them in a minimum of third place heading into the New Year.

At the half-way mark of the season, Chelsea will really start to believe they are in a commanding position to clinch Champions League qualification. Although Maresca's mindset has always been to take each game as it comes, the end goal could be in sight well before May.

But it all begins on Saturday against Leicester. Maresca is excited to return to the King Power and has already ensured his side won't be complacent against the league's new boys.

"It’s not an easy game, absolutely," insisted Maresca ahead of the match. "You can see week after week that it’s always complicated, no matter which team or where you are in the table, you struggle. We’ll try to make sure we’re focused and prepared. We try to prepare the best way and try to win."