'A Very Nice Competition' - Maresca's FA Cup Preview
Five days after Monday's 1-1 draw with fellow Sky Bet Championship automatic promotion-chasers Ipswich Town and three before Tuesday's visit of Swansea City, the Foxes welcome Birmingham to King Power Stadium on Saturday.
It's a busy time for City during a period which has also seen Patson Daka, Kelechi Iheanacho and Harry Souttar travel away for international duty, Wilfred Ndidi forced out through injury, Cesare Casadei recalled from his loan by Chelsea, and Abdul Fatawu serve a three-game suspension.
Leicester's squad depth, though, is one of the reasons Maresca's men currently hold a seven-point lead at the top of the table and the Italian remains confident that his side can navigate the challenges to come.
Ahead of Saturday's FA Cup tie, the Manager spoke to the media on Friday, and here's what he said...
Birmingham under Mowbray
After Tony Mowbray replaced Wayne Rooney in the St. Andrew's hotseat, Blues have improved dramatically, winning their last two matches in all competitions. Maresca, meanwhile, can see similarities with Mowbray's Sunderland team.
"For sure, you can see a team that is trying to react to the situation," he said, discussing Birmingham's upturn in form.
"They are a very aggressive team, trying to do something different. The first thing you can see is that they are much more aggressive. Sunderland was a very aggressive team, intense, and they are trying to do something similar.
"The idea is more or less the same. They try to be more aggressive but they have different players so it’s not exactly the same."
The magic of the FA Cup
As assistant to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City last term, Maresca lifted the FA Cup, and after joining a Club who also tasted success in the competition as recently as 2021, the former Parma manager knows all about the magic of the cup.
"It’s very nice," he said. "You go to Wembley, so it’s a very nice competition. It’s not an easy competition. Everyone has the chance to go to the next round. We are focusing on the game. Hopefully we can win the game and play in the next round.
"We said many times, it’s an important competition. We have a game on Tuesday so we have to manage the squad and the situation. We need to manage many things. We would like to arrive at [the Swansea] game, playing after one week, but it’s not the case. We arrive after two or three days so we need to manage that."
Vardy's influence
Jamie Vardy marked his return from injury as a substitute in Monday's draw with Ipswich and Maresca believes his influence at Leicester is not only felt on the field of play. His magical history with the Foxes can also be an inspirational tool, he feels.
"Jamie is a reference in this Club for all the young players because of his history and what he has done in the last 10 years," the 43-year-old explained.
"For sure, he’s a reference for young players. He has been injured for two months more or less. Now he’s back and hopefully we can use him more. I’m happy to have all of them, all of the squad fit, to try to choose the right players for each game."
Life at the top
It can be tough at the top, but Maresca continues to enjoy the task at hand, returning City to the Premier League. Although currently focusing on the FA Cup, the former Juventus and Sevilla midfielder is enjoying life at Leicester.
"I’m very happy," he said. "Since we started. I can see the team growing and doing better with many difficulties.
"It’s normal. There are many things we can do better but we’re happy in the situation we’re in now. There’s many games to play and many things to improve."