Our Chelsea fans here in the Transfer Tavern are hoping to show a little more fight for their title in the final few months of the season.

Antonio Conte won the Premier League at the first time of asking with the Blues and after the last time Chelsea won the League, our Blues in the bar were hoping for a better showing than under former boss Jose Mourinho, when the team struggled.

Chelsea have been in and around the top four all season, even with a threadbare squad at times and Conte has had them working hard to grind out the wins. The Blues have recruited well in the transfer window and brought in some much-needed strength in depth in a couple of the key areas.

The realistic aim for Conte and his men is to secure Champions League football for next season and our landlord takes a deeper look at two fixtures that could define whether or not it’s Wednesday or Thursday night football next season…

April 1st: Home v Tottenham Hotspur

Chelsea have a tough few week in February/March where they face both Manchester United and City sandwiched between the two legs in the Champions League last 16 against Barcelona.

However, the first real match of note for the Blues must come against London rivals Spurs, who will be making moves to edge into the top-four before the season ends. To secure a Champions League spot for next season, Chelsea must remain unbeaten against the teams directly below them in the league and that starts on April Fools day.

May 5th: Home v Liverpool

The penultimate match of the season comes against direct rivals Liverpool. By that point, Conte should be hoping to have tied a spot in the top-four down, however, with the way the league is and how tight it remains anything can happen by that point.

Chelsea have got to take points of Liverpool if they are to finish above them and alongside the spurs match are two of the most crucial matches in Chelsea’s season.