The west London giants have exceeded expectations in the early part of the campaign and they are currently fourth with 13 points on the board.

The Blues have been lucky with an easier schedule on paper and Maresca has acknowledged that the club are not ready enough to challenge for the title.

He said: "I really don’t think we can compete with [Man] City or Arsenal . We are not ready. City worked with the same manager for nine years. Arsenal , five years. Us, three months. The target is to slowly – slowly – get close."

Chelsea host Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Sunday and they should be favourites to beat them and possibly jump higher up the table.

After the international break, the London outfit will have a sterner challenge with Liverpool , Newcastle United and Manchester United to face.

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