Chelsea manager Graham Potter spoke of his enjoyment at working with his new squad over the past month, saying that it has been "a pleasure to work with them," as his side prepare for a huge Champions League night.
The Blues swept aside their upcoming opponents AC Milan 3-0 last week in the return fixture back home at Stamford Bridge, but the head coach has admitted that he knows it will not be as easy as it was in that game, for numerous reasons.
One such reason is the atmosphere they will be up against, with the San Siro something of a pilgrimage as far as many football fans are concerned, with Potter describing it as "an incredible place," in reference to the stadium.
In response to a question regarding how special it would be to win, the 47-year-old said: "That's our challenge, that's what we have to try to do. It's a completely different game [to the win last week].
"AC Milan will try to use the home advantage like we did. Two good teams, two quite evenly matched teams I think, so it's going to be a fantastic game, [I'm] really looking forward to it."
Despite the seemingly comfortable scoreline by which Chelsea won in west London, the Blues' head coach was full of praise for the opposition who have plenty of history in this competition.
"We're expecting a really, really tough game because AC Milan have got a lot of fantastic players and are a really well-organised team," he commented. "They're very flexible, they can set up in lots of ways, attack and defend in lots of ways."
There was also plenty of praise for one of his own players in particular, that being Thiago Silva, who has continued to defy expectations at the age of 38 by playing regularly still at the top level, including in the Champions League.
Any manager would clearly be fortunate to have the Brazilian at their disposal, and Potter is no exception, lauding the defender for both his ability and his attitude, which have earned him cult hero status at Stamford Bridge.
Of the man brought to the club by Frank Lampard, Potter said: "He's been incredibly impressive on and off the pitch. He's a leader, he's a top professional and a top person so he's been, again, a joy to work with.
"I've been here three or four weeks, I see his qualities. The level he can play at, the performance levels he can reach, the amount of respect he has throughout the game is just incredible.
"All I can do is try and help him enjoy his football here, and be part of a winning team."
Since he arrived on 8 September, the former Brighton manager has had a pretty hectic schedule, especially as of late with tomorrow's match set to be the fourth Chelsea have played in just twelve days.
That has meant less time available to be spent on the training ground, perfecting formations and tactics, and while Potter did understand the potential drawbacks of that, he also remarked on how he has adapted to the challenge.
"It's just been one of those periods that you have to deal with as best you can," he said. "Yes, there hasn't been so much time on the training pitch but you can still work in other ways.
"It's about trying to understand the players, get to know them better, build the relationships, prepare the games, analyse the games and then try to move forward.
"We've had to use meetings, videos, speak, explain and talk to try to understand where the players have been at and how we can help them. As I've said before, they're really honest, really responsible.
"I've found them really receptive, so it's been a pleasure to work with them."
"We need to play at our level"
Meanwhile, AC Milan boss Stefano Pioli was also aware of just how important the points might prove come the end of the group stage, with the head-to-head record between the two sides potentially crucial.
"In terms of points, the group is very tight," the 56-year-old said. "We can't think beyond Chelsea [in terms of fixtures]. We'll need all the energy we can get, including from the crowd.
"Playing in front of our fans is fantastic; they give us incredible support, which represents a real weapon every time."
Following Potter's comments about the iconic nature of the San Siro, it is no surprise to hear the other head coach also point out the importance that such an atmosphere can hold in terms of boosting the home team.
Yet, atmosphere by itself will not win games, and Pioli recognised that in order to get a better result than the one they sustained last week in west London, the quality on the pitch will need to be much better too.
He has challenged his players "to show that the match in London was a one-off and not the norm." He continued: "We can learn from the situations that took place last Wednesday in order to make fewer mistakes.
"We're playing a team that, in addition to its qualities, has proven that it knows how to take advantage of opponents' mistakes. We're focused on tomorrow's game."
Whilst the main prize on the table is of course three points in the group, there are other considerations to take into account, especially when adding in the context of what it could do to the domestic form of both sides.
The current Italian champions sit in fourth place in Serie A, just three points behind leaders Napoli, but will want to improve in the coming games in order to defend their title, with confidence no doubt taken from victories in big European games.
As Pioli commented, "Tomorrow's match is worth a lot, including beyond the points at stake. This is due to the quality of our opponents and what it could mean for our growth. AC Milan shouldn't have doubts or worries [about the opposition]; we need to play at our level.
"The six-pointers in the league and Champions League require you to do your best because you're up against strong opponents. Tomorrow, there will be many different situations compared to Saturday [when they beat Juventus].
"We need to focus on managing to play at our standard. I have ideas in my mind and we'll certainly try to produce something different compared to the game in London."