Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino said European qualification “would be incredible” for the Blues after overcoming a difficult first season in charge at Stamford Bridge.
Pochettino’s men have won their last three Premier League games, moving up to seventh in the table and putting themselves in a good position to return to Europe next season.
Chelsea are level on points with sixth-placed Newcastle and three ahead of Manchester United, as well as having a significantly better goal difference than the Red Devils with two games to play.
A top-six finish will guarantee a place in the Europa League or Conference League next season, while seventh place would also suffice as long as United fail to win the FA Cup later this month against Manchester City.
Chelsea won just three of their first 10 league games as Pochettino battled injuries and assembled a host of inexperienced players.
But the Argentine believes that his team’s curve is clearly on the rise, as they have lost just once in the last 13 first division games.
“The most important thing is to believe and I think the team is doing very well. In the last 26 games we have been very good and we need to continue like this.
“It’s going to be difficult, but I really believe we can compete in the next two games and having the chance to play in Europe would be fantastic for us.”
Pochettino’s future as manager next season has been in doubt until recent weeks.
But convincing home wins over London rivals Tottenham and West Ham were followed by a 3-2 victory at Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
“We are punished because of the first 10 games. If you start counting after our 10th game, I think we are in the top four,” Pochettino added.
“I want to be positive and I don’t want to talk anymore (about lack of experience). From next season onwards I don’t want to say that we are young, I want to talk about a different subject.”
There is more good news for Pochettino as several key players are returning from injury in time for Wednesday’s trip to Brighton and a visit to Bournemouth to round off the campaign on Sunday.
Captain Reece James came off the bench to score Nicolas Jackson’s winning goal at Forest, while striker Christopher Nkunku returned as a substitute for the last two games.
However, Pochettino is not expecting to start at Brighton either.
“Players who arrived from injury need time and we don’t have time. We need to play and start games with players who can last the 90 minutes,” he added.
“We will see if the injured players can last a few minutes (on Wednesday). We have the names and the bodies, but they are not 100 percent to play and cope with the demands of the Premier League for 90 minutes at the moment.”
kca/ea
