Few, if any, Chelsea fans would want to see their fiercest rivals, Tottenham Hotspur, advance to the next round of this year's Europa League.
Blues manager Enzo Maresca, however, is hoping for exactly that.
Tottenham take on Dutch side AZ Alkmaar in the second leg of their last-16 tie on Thursday night, trailing 1-0 from the first leg.
On the same evening, Chelsea host FC Copenhagen at Stamford Bridge for the second leg of their Europa Conference League last-16 clash, holding a 2-1 advantage.
If both English teams progress, it would mean they play once again on the same night in the next round of their respective competitions. In that case, Chelsea would be guaranteed a second-leg quarterfinal at home, rather than away if Tottenham are eliminated.
Speaking ahead of his side’s clash with Copenhagen, Maresca was asked if he wanted Spurs to advance, given that a home second leg could be considered an advantage.
He responded: "First of all because it's an English team, so I hope for England they go through that game. Sometimes it's better to play at home and sometimes it's better to play away."
Unsurprisingly, some Chelsea fans weren't best pleased with Maresca's admission that he hopes Spurs progress.
"It's official, Maresca has no idea what it means to be at Chelsea Football Club," wrote one fan on X. Being associated with Chelsea and wanting Tottenham to win will never, ever be accepted."
"It’s never acceptable to want a Tottenham win," wrote another, while one said: "Where's the outrage, a Chelsea manager wanting Spurs to win?!"
Maresca means no harm with Spurs comment
Everything Chelsea says...
While some fans are unhappy with Maresca's comments, in reality, his response was simply a diplomatic one.
In today’s game, if a top-flight manager were to openly fan the flames of an often-intense and sometimes violent rivalry, he would risk serious backlash.
The Italian likely doesn’t want Tottenham to win – but he just can’t say that publicly.
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