London, Jan 24 : Ahead of their clash against Manchester City on Saturday, Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has backed his opponents to return to form and win many trophies soon.

The two sides are sitting at fourth and fifth place in the league table and Maresca's men are just ahead as they hold a two-point gap.

"It is normal, it can happen. What does not happen is the amount of years they won trophies. What is normal is what is going on now. For sure, they will be back to winning many trophies soon,' said Maresca in a press conference.

Before eventually settling at Chelsea, Maresca picked up valuable experience in the Manchester City youth system and had a brief spell with Parma before spending a year as Pep Guardiola's assistant. The 2023/24 season saw him appointed to Leicester City with the task of taking the recently relegated side back to the Premier League. Maresca did that at the first attempt, with the team finishing top of the Championship before joining the West London outlet.

Ahead of the reunion with Guardiola, the Italian head coach stated he will always be grateful for his time with the defending champions. "My relationship with Pep and the club is very good. I have said many times my contact is very good and I will always be grateful for the trust they showed in me. Pep is strong enough. Like any human being, he needs support. In the last eight or nine years, they were always on top, always winning trophies and important things," Maresca said.

A run of four league games without a win saw Chelsea, who heading into December were sitting at second place in the PL table, fall to fourth place in the table and ten points behind league leaders Liverpool.

Maresca remained adamant that his side is not in the title race. "No, not for the title. If you look over December and January, we are having a tough moment," he added.

/IANS