The Blues have won six and drawn three of our 11 away games, with our only defeats coming at Anfield and Portman Road. Our 21 points accrued is more than the 19 we have picked up on home soil, and Maresca explained why that record reflects well on his team’s stability and maturity.

‘Probably it shows how balanced we are,’ he said. ‘Everyone is talking about how we get more points away from home, but I don’t think the difference is big between home and away, and it shows how the team is balanced home and away. We don’t care if we’re at home or away.

‘Hopefully, in the future, we can get more points at home, this is the target, but overall it’s something good because it shows how the team is at the moment in terms of balance.’

Maresca has regularly spoken in recent weeks about his team benefitting from experiencing the ups and downs a Premier League campaign can throw at you.

A statement victory at the Etihad would of course enhance his young squad’s development, but Maresca is not putting extra weight on this fixture, or his team’s need to get the better of one of the league’s established sides.

‘If you see the top six at this moment, we beat Bournemouth away and drew at home,’ noted Maresca.

‘We beat Newcastle at home and still have to play there. We drew against Arsenal and we lost to Liverpool and City. It’s a matter of balance.

‘We are going to win games against big teams for sure, but I don’t think if we win tomorrow that means we’re ready for the title. For sure we are going to try to win tomorrow, but it will be one more game.’