Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has praised Marco Silva and his Fulham side ahead of their Boxing Day clash at Stamford Bridge.

Fulham, currently ninth in the Premier League, have impressed Maresca with their stability and clear identity under Silva’s leadership.

“They have been fantastic,” Maresca said of the Cottagers. “They’ve been together for many years now, coming up from the Championship, and they know each other very well.”

The Italian tactician highlighted Fulham’s adaptability and organisation as key strengths. “They have a clear identity and know what they are doing both on and off the ball,” he noted.

“They may have a few injury issues to deal with, we are not sure yet, but they have many options to change things up and we will have to see.

“Sometimes they play with a line of four, sometimes they play with five at the back. They can do different things and we will prepare different options and try to prepare for that,” he added.

Despite the challenges, Maresca emphasised the importance of focusing on Chelsea’s own performance.

“We know it will be a tough game, but I just try to be focused on how we can beat them and how we can be good both on and off the ball. The result is not something we can always control, but we can control the way we want to play,” he concluded.