Sunday’s clash against Manchester City is an ideal opportunity for Chelsea to signal the seriousness of their Premier League title defence, defender Kurt Zouma has said.

Zouma made only his second start in the Premier League against runners-up City last January in the game at Stamford Bridge, which ended in a 1-1 draw.

The France international, who joined Chelsea from Ligue 1’s Saint Etienne in January 2014, has happy memories from that match and was confident of a similar strong show against City at the Etihad Stadium.

“We know we are playing against a good team on Sunday and it will be difficult, but we have a chance to win. I think it will be a very interesting game,” Zouma told reporters yesterday.

“It’s a chance early in the season to show why we are champions. We want to defend our title. The season after a very good season is always hard but we have to show we are ready to try and do it.”

The 20-year-old Zouma, who grew up as a central defender, has shown his versatility having played several games in midfield and more recently was deployed as a left-back in the Community Shield.

“Because I’m right-footed I have never played at left-back. It was different for me positionally so I had to learn quickly and adapt to it,” Zouma added.

“It’s really not a problem be-cause the boss needed me in that position and I have to give everything for the team.”