The fifth-placed Blues are five points behind us going into the match, meaning a long-overdue victory for us at Stamford Bridge would strengthen our grip on a spot in the top four and leave our London rivals with a mountain to climb in their bid to return to European football’s top table.
However, Mauricio believes every single one of our eight remaining Premier League games is as important as the next and doesn’t see this weekend’s clash as the be-all-and-end-all in our pursuit of a third consecutive season in the Champions League.
“It’s a long way until the end,” said the manager.