Chelsea's Christmas schedule confirmed as Enzo Maresca reveals training plan
In this story:
Enzo Maresca said the players will only have another day off on Christmas before continuing their preparation for Saturday's Premier League home match against Aston Villa.
Chelsea have a week to prepare for the big match against third-placed Villa this weekend, which is a welcome change after playing twice a week for quite some time.
Of course, the players would also like to spend some time with their families on Christmas.
Maresca confirmed that he already gave the players some time off after the 2-2 draw with Newcastle United last weekend, so there will be only one more day off for the players before the Villa game.
Back home for the visit of Villa in the #PL. 🎄 pic.twitter.com/NnTEAZNDN0
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) December 24, 2025
"After Newcastle, they had two days off," Maresca said in Wednesday's press conference when speaking about his team's Christmas schedule.
"We trained yesterday, we train today, tomorrow off, and then Friday session and Saturday again."
Maresca was also asked if, like Manchester City's Pep Guardiola, he would weigh his players before and after Christmas.
"It's Pep's choice, and he considers doing that," the Italian responded.
"I think every manager probably thinks in a different way, but you have to respect different points of view."
Making moves. 👊 pic.twitter.com/uWxyxh6eni
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) December 23, 2025
Chelsea apparently held a Christmas party for the players on Wednesday morning.
"Yeah, it was very good," Maresca said about the party.
"Family time, players with their friends, with the kids. So it was a nice day, yeah."
Chelsea currently sit fourth in the Premier League table, and while Villa are guaranteed to keep their spot in the top three regardless of the result with a seven-point cushion, this would still have a big impact on the race for Champions League spots.
If Chelsea drop more points this weekend, Liverpool and Sunderland, who will face Wolves and Leeds United, respectively, will have the chance to overtake them in the table.
Gerry Crisandy is a freelance writer who has covered Chelsea for many years. His work has been published on The Chelsea Chronicle and Pride of London. He grew up idolising Michael Ballack and is a firm believer in expected goals.