Leicestervs.Chelsea

The Blues make the trip to the King Power Stadium sitting in third position in the Premier League table and nine points above the Foxes.

At the same time that Leicester are on a three-match streak without success, Chelsea have put together a three-game run without defeat.

However, Saturday's encounter represents the first time that Maresca is returning to the East Midlands since guiding Leicester to the Championship title during 2023-24.

Accumulating 97 points from 46 matches was good enough for Maresca to win over the Chelsea powers-that-be soon after the conclusion of the campaign.

What has Maresca had to say?

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Maresca claimed that Leicester's knowledge of his style of play puts Chelsea at a distinct disadvantage.

Furthermore, the Italian insisted that he and his backroom staff must come up with a plan to surprise their hosts at some point in the fixture.

Maresca told reporters: "They know exactly what we do, it's on both sides. We are going to try to adjust the small details to see if we can do something different.

"It's more from their side that they know us better than we know them."

He added: "It's not an easy game, absolutely. We can see it is always complicated, no matter where the teams are in the table.

"We are going to make sure we are focused and prepared. We will prepare to win in the best way."

Maresca speaks highly of Leicester

Earlier in the media briefing, Maresca admitted that he was "excited" to be returning to a club that gave him his first opportunity to manage a senior club in English football.

The 44-year-old said: "Excited and also thankful because it was a fantastic season. The owner, his family; they are fantastic people. They care for players, staff and all the people inside the club. You can see that."

Chelsea can move to within one point of second-placed Manchester City if they can record maximum points from the lunchtime kickoff.