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Enzo Maresca says Chelsea will give Liverpool a guard of honour(Image: Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)

Enzo Maresca confirmed Chelsea will afford champions Liverpool a guard of honour tomorrow - and warned they are closing the gap.

For half the season, Maresca’s side were the Kop’s closest challengers at the top until ruinous defeats against Fulham and Ipswich at Christmas threw the Blues off-course.

Chelsea’s head coach admitted he wants his players to absorb the meaning of their gesture and think: “One day I would like to be there.”

Maresca’s squad crawled home at dawn from their 4-1 win in Stockholm against Djurgarden on Thursday night, which all but booked their passage to the Europa Conference League final against Real Betis or Fiorentina on May 28.

Back home, Nottingham Forest’s home defeat by Brentford kept Chelsea above the dotted line in the race for a top-five finish and Champions League riches next season.

But first they must navigate Liverpool’s visit to Stamford Bridge - and clap Arne Slot ’s Premier League kings on to the pitch.

READ MORE:Liverpool boss Arne Slot admits Chelsea have 'completely surprised' him this seasonREAD MORE:Joao Felix speaks out about Chelsea exit – ‘It was very easy when the offer came’

Maresca said: “It's tradition.

This has probably been the main reason why the gap is there - also in terms of experienced players who know how to win games and these kinds of things, I think they have something more compared to us.

Article continues belowLiverpool will arrive at Stamford Bridge as champions after winning the title last weekend(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

“For sure, if you want to close the gap with these kind of clubs then you have to do things (like adding experience).

Hopefully the ones that we have, they can grow and help us in terms of experience.

"I don't think we need to give a guard of honour to understand how good it is to win the Premier League - we know that it's something very nice.

But for sure when you are standing there, probably in their minds our players are thinking, 'I would like one day to be there.’

“It's always nice to play this kind of game, but I don't think Liverpool’s approach is going to be different or relaxed.”

Chelsea have one foot in the Europa Conference League final

Barring unprecedented complacency, Chelsea will be heading to Wroclaw in Poland for their sixth European final in 17 years - and the chance to complete a full set of UEFA trophies after winning the Champions League, Europa League and now-defunct Cup Winners Cup twice each, plus the Super Cup.

Maresca hopes they have learned from last month’s home defeat by Legia Warsaw after a convincing 3-0 win in the first leg, saying: “You have to go through this moment to learn.
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