Enzo Maresca had barely touched down in Poland by the time he was speaking at his pre-match press conference on Wednesday, fielding questions about the hostile atmosphere Chelsea will be met with at the Marshall Jozef Pilsudski Legia Warsaw Stadium.
Legia Warsaw are the giants of Polish football and their fans create one of the most intimidating away days in Europe.
Chelsea have already accrued some rather eclectic experiences on their travels in the Conference League this season, having been posted to the sleepy Swiss town of Servette, tiny Heidenheim in southern Germany and remote Almaty in Kazakhstan, where they battled temperatures of -10 degrees.
Their sternest test yet came last time out in overcoming Copenhagen 3-1 on aggregate in the last 16, and now comes an altogether different challenge.
Legia fans have established a reputation for turning their 30,000-capacity stadium into a cauldron.
At a moment’s notice, red flares all around the stadium can go off at once. Legia 'ultras' have also been known to unfurl huge tifos which take up almost an entire stand, as well as setting off fireworks in red, white and green (the club's colours) from inside the ground.
Chelsea fans will be vastly unnumbered, with an allocation of just 742 tickets made available to travelling supporters, who have been advised not to wear Chelsea shirts or clothing while in Poland, amid fears of trouble.
In recent years, Legia have received a slew of fines and bans from UEFA for the behaviour of their supporters. In December 2023, they were fined €100,000 and banned from selling tickets for five away games after their fans caused disorder outside Villa Park during a Conference League match against Aston Villa.
Fourty-six men were charged after Legia supporters attacked police. West Midlands police said five officers, two police dogs and two police horses were injured when missiles were thrown by visiting fans. Police described “appalling scenes” and “extreme violence”.
The hope is that, both in Warsaw and at Stamford Bridge for next week’s quarter-final second leg, that hostility does not cross a line.
Maresca wants his players to embrace the atmosphere, having shown them video clips at Cobham of Legia’s notorious home support to try and give his young squad an idea.
“We need to experience this kind of game,” Maresca insists. “We are very young but in the same moment we need this kind of game to improve. [The young players], they are ready.”
There is at least an element of familiarity for the Chelsea manager, who will be reunited with team-mates of old.
Legia sporting director Michal Zewlakow played with Maresca at Olympiacos in Greece, while their right-back Pawel Wszolek, shared the pitch with him at Sampdoria. He plans to catch up with both before kick-off.
As Chelsea’s young squad prepare to enter the cauldron, they can turn to one of their older heads (though he’s only been at the club since July) for tips.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who is set to start, is the only Chelsea player who has played away at Legia before. He started in a 1-0 defeat for Leicester in the Europa League in 2021.
“I’ve let them [the squad] know it’s going to be a good atmosphere, that’s for sure,” the 26-year-old said on Wednesday. “It’s an atmosphere I hadn’t experienced before, and a little bit different to England. I’m looking forward to experiencing it again.”
Dewsbury-Hall went on to describe his memories of visiting Legia as “hostile, but in a good way” - and that is how Chelsea must channel the occasion.
If they succeed, they should have the quality to take an advantage back to Stamford Bridge for the second leg.
