Enzo Maresca has just spoken to the media in his pre-match press conference ahead of Southampton vs Chelsea on Wednesday night.

The are looking to win their fourth successive game in all competitions when they take on the bottom-of-the-table Saints in just over 24 hours' time. has been previewing the Premier League clash, as well as talking about a variety of other topics, as you can read below in football.london's full transcript...

How is Wesley Fofana?

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"We don't have any update at the moment. It happened two days ago so we need to wait a little bit. We are hoping to get some more news in the next days but for sure, he will be out for the next weeks, for sure."

How is Reece James?

"He's the same situation, more or less. He's getting better but he still needs weeks to come back."

Is Benoit Badiashile the most likely to replace Fofana in defence?

"It depends a little bit on the game-plan. Benoit is one of the solutions, but we also have Tosin, Axel, we have different players that can play there. For sure, it's a big loss because Wes was doing fantastic in every game but we need to accept we have to find a different solution."

Are you going to rotate a lot against Southampton?

"We had yesterday's session where the guys that played had a recovery. Now, this afternoon, we have one more session and then we decide."

You've said consistently that you're not in the title race. Do you still maintain that?

"Absolutely, yes."

You're level with Arsenal, who are in the race, so what is the difference?

"That they have been there in the last two years very close to City and we have been very far away from City."

You're not doing it to protect your players then?

"No. I said, to be in the title race, it is a nice pressure for me and the players. It's not that kind of pressure that you don't like. It's that kind of pressure that you like because you are in the title race but it is not our case. Arsenal, in the last two years, they were very, very close to City and Liverpool, they have been there. We were not there. Hopefully soon we can be there."

A word on Southampton - what are you expecting?

"It's the worst game since we start the season, for us, and will be the toughest game since we start the season. We need to be ready, otherwise it will be a bad day for us. The reason why, because if you analyse the results, they're probably there [bottom of the league] but in terms of performance, they were winning against Liverpool, they lost against City 1-0, they drew with Brighton.

"The way they have played since last year because I was in the Championship with Southampton last year, I know them quite well. They are very brave and it is very clear what they want; they want to keep the ball and we want the same, and it will be, for sure, a tough, tough game and we need to be ready."

Can you tell us a bit more about what you said to Ruud van Nistelrooy before he joined Leicester City?

"Ruud is a friend of mine. I said here before we faced Manchester United. He called me days ago before he took over there. We had a conversation and I told him Leicester is a fantastic club, first of all because there are fantastic people. For sure, it's a good club.

"In the end, he decided to go. This was our conversation."

You as a player, when did you start believing you could win trophies? Was it being in that Juventus dressing room or was it the way you grew into Sevilla?

"For sure, Juventus shaped me a lot in terms of winning mentality. First of all because the two managers I had there, one was Lippi and the other was Ancelotti. Both of them are winners.

"The squad in that time was a winner squad. You can smell day by day the desire to win games and desire to win trophies."

Do you use those experiences to try and create something like that here?

"I try to do this in all the teams I was in the past. Even with my experience with City Under-23s, it was the first time we won the title and Leicester it was the same - and that was the most difficult one because after a relegation, the mood was a disaster for everyone. Here, I'm trying to do the same."

Is this surprising you how well this season is going?

"For sure, I still consider it a big job but this doesn't mean because it's a big job, you are not trying to do the right things. In terms of expectation, we are ahead of my expectation in the way we are playing and for sure, in terms of results.

"We started four or five months ago. It is very early, a short time together. The best feeling I have is that there is many, many things we can do better and we are in the right direction."

The club didn't set you specific targets, but you privately must have had an idea of what the next few years will look like?

"The good thing is that I still think what I said to the owners and the sporting directors the first time I met them; because of the age, and how good the squad is, for me Chelsea in the next five or 10 years will be one of the teams, or the team, that will dominate English football.

"I said this to the club the first time I met them, no matter who the manager will be. Because of the age, because of the squad, you can dominate English football. I still think exactly the same.

"In terms of a target, they didn't ask me any target. The only thing they asked me was to try and build something important for the next years. I think we are in the right direction.

"In terms of personal target... I know from the outside you struggle to believe but I just finished to see how today, this afternoon, we can use this session to help the players improve. I'm focused on Southampton, for sure, but I'm not focused about end of the season, next season, two seasons because it is not real."

When was the last time you spoke with the owners?

"After the last game. After Aston Villa, yeah."

Can you share the nature of the chat?

"It's a normal conversation that we have after every game... 'How was the game? What's your feeling? What works well? What doesn't work?' And it's just about this."

Are you getting the impression that they are very happy with the job you are doing?

"This is a question for them. I hope so and they showed me they are happy and they are okay but it is more of a question for them."

Will Lesley Ugochukwu be coming back in January? He's not played much at Southampton...

"I have no idea at the moment. I have no idea about the loans, about the transfer window. Before January, I think we have seven Premier League games. It's too many games to be thinking about that."