Di Matteo approaching Reading with caution

21 August 2012 17:24

Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo says he is 'wary' of playing promoted clubs such as Wednesday's opponents Reading early on in the season.

The Blues got their Premier League campaign off to a strong start, comfortably beating Wigan 2-0, while Brian McDermott's men earned a point against Stoke through a late penalty.

And Di Matteo has revealed that his side will approach their meeting with Reading at Stamford Bridge with the utmost professionalism.

"I'm very wary of newly promoted teams like Reading and Southampton," he told the club's official website.

"It's going to be a very difficult game when you play a newly promoted team early on, full of enthusiasm and spirit. We will try our best to win our first home game.

"You sometimes look at it and think you don't want to change a winning team but it doesn't always work like that. We will see for tomorrow night, I haven't made my decision yet, we finished training not long ago and I have to think about it."

Despite Florent Malouda and Yossi Benayoun's absence from the squad against Wigan, Di Matteo remained non-committal on the pair's future at Stamford Bridge.

"At the moment it's just a selection issue. We have a lot of competition and a lot of players in certain areas. That's what it is at the moment, a fight for places," the Italian said.

"I tend to speak to all the players. We have conversations and they are Chelsea players and part of the squad at the moment.

"We will have to see, but until the transfer window closes they are with us and they are part of it."