Enzo Maresca is hoping Chelsea can continue their superb home form when they host Ipswich Town at Stamford Bridge this weekend. The Blues are seeking their seventh consecutive home victory in all competitions and will be aiming to close in on a top-five Premier League finish.
Maresca’s side have been consistent at home, having scored nine goals and conceded just once in their past five matches in west London. But on the road, their form remains a concern. They have not won in their last four away league games.
Looking back over the team’s recent performances, Maresca said in his pre-match press conference:
Overall, we started the season winning games away, and now we struggle a little bit to win games away. Hopefully, in the seven games to go, we can continue to win the games at home and win the games away.
Chelsea are fourth in the Premier League on 53 points, level with Newcastle and just ahead of Manchester City and Aston Villa. Winning form will be crucial moving forward, as Maresca continued to explain:
We have seven games to go, but we’ve been saying with 12, 13, 14 games to go that we need to keep winning… It’s important we continue to create and at the end we will see [where we are in the table].
Ipswich are in the bottom three, fighting to avoid relegation. They beat Chelsea 2-0 at Portman Road on December 30, which will not have escaped the notice of Maresca and his players. They will certainly look to punish the Tractor Boys at Stamford Bridge in retaliation.
The Blues have to provide a powerful performance at Stamford Bridge, knowing that it could make all the difference as they chase Champions League qualification.
Could Ipswich Cause an Upset Against Chelsea?
Ipswich Town’s much-anticipated return to the Premier League is on the verge of turning into tears. Last weekend, they endured a dispiriting 2-1 home defeat against Wolves. The Tractor Boys are now 12 points adrift of safety with the clock fast running out.
That has come on the back of a savage streak at Portman Road, where Kieran McKenna’s side have now lost six consecutive league games. Now, they come to Stamford Bridge on Sunday (April 13) as heavy underdogs against a Chelsea team that is undefeated in its last five at home.
Ipswich have plenty of fight left. However, the odds are heavily stacked against them, and it may not be enough to break the Blues down in London.
