A rather unimpressive title defense campaign mounted by Chelsea this season has seen them sitting just outside the top four of the English Premier League table. With just four matches left of the season, the chances of the London club climbing back into the list elite remains very slim.
They are currently five points adrift 4th-placed Tottenham Hotspur, a side which does not seem like dropping points anytime soon. This, as a result, has left Antonio Conte to subtly fancy his side’s chance of crawling back into a position where Champions League football is assured for next season.
Speaking to BBC Sport after Chelsea’s 2-0 victory over Southampton in the semi-finals of the FA Cup, the Italian manager declared:
"We deserved to win the game and reach a second cup final in a row.
"We are very pleased to reach the final, especially for our fans, they are the first to deserve this satisfaction.
"Now our target is to try and put a bit of pressure on the teams in front of us in the Premier League and get a place in the Champions League and finish as best as possible.
"It's important for us to reach a final in this competition especially because we are struggling a lot in the league.
"In the (EFL) Cup we reached the semi-final and in the league we dropped a lot of points and probably next season we will play in the Europa League and not the Champions League."
Chelsea will resume Premier League action when they travel to Swansea on Saturday, April 28.
