Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca explains the emotional reason he is 'a little bit sad' on returning to Greece as Blues prepare for Panathinaikos Conference League clash

Maresca spent a year playing in Greece with Panathinaikos' rivals Olympiacos, having joined from Sevilla in 2009. While the Italian says he enjoyed his time in the country, not all of his memories are positive ones.

While playing for Sevilla in 2007, team-mate Antonio Puerta collapsed on the field and had to be resuscitated. Sadly, he died days later aged just 22. Sevilla's next match was a Champions League qualifier against AEK Athens in the Greek capital.

Asked for his memories of his time in Greece, Maresca said: "The feeling is a little bit mixed in terms of the season I spent here in Greece, for me it was very good with Olympiacos, big rival with Panathinaikos but at the same time I was here in Greece, unfortunately I lost a friend on the pitch when I was at Seville and the first game we played after that, we were already here in Athens, just in that day, one of our team-mates passed away in Antonio Puerta.

"So it is a bit mixed feeling. The season in Athens was fantastic but every time I come back here, I am a little bit sad."

Having beaten Gent 4-2 in their first Conference League game, Maresca's Chelsea will aim to make it two straight wins in the competition when they come up against the Greek club.