The Blues attempt to regroup from their FA Cup exit and strengthen their chances for a top-four finish on Wednesday when they face Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Chelsea (17-7-7) are part of a four-way fight for the final two Champions League spots along with Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Everton. Rafa Benitez's team are one point behind Arsenal for third, ahead of Tottenham on goal differential and three points clear of Everton with seven matches remaining.
The 2012 European champions were bounced in group play on the continent, and while they have reached the semifinals of the Europa League, their chances of lifting the FA Cup were dashed with a 2-1 defeat Sunday to Manchester City at Wembley Stadium. Demba Ba scored in the 66th minute to try and ignite a late rally, but Chelsea failed to find the equaliser despite late pressure following the insertion of Fernando Torres.
"We created a lot of opportunities to score the second goal, so we were unlucky, but this is football," Juan Mata said. "We have big games in the future we need to win and to be in the best position in the league and win the Europa League."
Reversing their poor road form would be key in nailing down a return to the lucrative Champions League. Chelsea have dropped three on the bounce outside Stamford Bridge in league play and are winless in four overall, conceding nine goals in those matches.
Getting Torres to replicate his goal-scoring prowess in league play would also go a long way. Seventeen of the Spaniard's 24 goals across all competitions this year have been in non-domestic competition, and his last Premier League goal came Dec. 23 against Aston Villa.
The Cottagers (10-10-12), as seemingly the case every season, are comfortably mid-table with 40 points and all but certain to return to the top flight. Fulham are currently 10th and seek a third straight home victory after claiming only one point from their previous two matches on the road.
Fabian Delph helped secure that point Saturday at Villa Park, scoring in the 66th minute to forge a 1-1 draw while Mark Schwarzer finished with six saves.
"The last couple of weeks we've been sitting on 39 points and people have been saying that we're safe," the goalkeeper said. "But we knew that, mathematically, we weren't safe, and we're still not mathematically safe so it's always positive, from a psychological point of view, to get to 40 points, and we'll kick on from there."
Those good feelings have been absent against elite competition at Craven Cottage, with Fulham losing to front runners Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham at home this season.
The teams played to a scoreless draw in the reverse fixture at Chelsea on Nov. 28, the fourth consecutive league match the teams have split points. Chelsea have 12 wins and 10 draws in the last 23 Premier League matches between the sides, with the lone blemish a 1-0 defeat at Craven Cottage on March 19, 2006.
Via: [Live Football] FC Nantes - AJ Auxerre - French Ligue 2
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