11:58 BST
Chelsea v Benfica (Tue, 20:00 BST)
Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport Chelsea reporter
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca will not feel like he is in a position of weakness when facing the media today before a Champions League match with Benfica.
The Italian has endured a difficult post international break and only won once in five matches – an unconvincing victory over League One side Lincoln City – and the latest 3-1 defeat to Brighton on Saturday was disappointing.
However, there is no sense his job is in any immediate danger.
His post-match meeting with Chelsea’s four sporting directors, Paul Winstanley, Laurence Stewart, Joe Shields and Sam Jewell, along with co-owner Behdad Eghbali at Stamford Bridge at the weekend was routine.
As part of that meeting, it was mentioned that four of Chelsea’s five defeats in the last five months have been in matches where one of their players has been sent off.
There is an acknowledgement that Chelsea are in a rut through injuries at the moment.
Yet, there is still a belief Maresca can qualify for the Champions League to achieve the club’s goals before a post-season meeting to appraise his performance as manager.
Maresca will be confident he will continue for at least seven more months.
Regardless, today will likely feel like Jose Mourinho’s day.
The legendary former Chelsea manager returns to Stamford Bridge in a later media conference that will be highly attended by both British and Portuguese press.