Chelsea face pivotal trip

LONDON • Chelsea have a golden opportunity to pile pressure on fourth-placed Tottenham in the race to qualify for the Champions League when they face struggling Swansea today.

Antonio Conte's side travel to the Liberty Stadium with their tails up, having clinched a place in the FA Cup final against Manchester United last weekend.

Spurs stand between fifth-placed Chelsea and a return to the Champions League next term, making a win essential for the Blues.

Chelsea are five points behind Spurs, who do not play until Monday's clash at home to Watford, so they have a chance to cut the gap to two points for at least 48 hours.

And Conte urged his team to let Spurs know that Chelsea are ready to pounce should they slip up. He also acknowledged the Swans' impressive home form with four wins from their last five games at his pre-match press conference.

"We have to try to get three points. It won't be easy because we are going to play against a team fighting to avoid relegation.

"Now the reality (is) that Tottenham have a big advantage. The only way to try and put a bit of pressure is to get three points tomorrow," the Italian, who also revealed he had a full-strength squad to pick from, said.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

SWANSEA V CHELSEA

Singtel TV Ch102 & StarHub Ch227, tomorrow, 12.30am

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on April 28, 2018, with the headline Chelsea face pivotal trip. Subscribe