Chelsea visit Brighton and Hove Albion with just a point separating the sides in the Premier League table amid the Blues’ miserable recent form.
Liam Rosenior’s men slumped to a fourth successive league defeat without scoring as they were beaten 1-0 by Manchester United on Saturday.
With that result followed by Liverpool’s late Merseyside Derby win over Everton on Sunday, sixth-placed Chelsea now sit seven points outside the Champions League places with five games remaining.
And they are looking over the shoulder at those teams behind them in the race for Europe, with Brighton among them despite needing last-gasp equaliser to earn a 2-2 draw at relegation-threatened Tottenham.
Brighton won the reverse fixture 3-1 in September and have lost just one of their last seven games.
But Chelsea striker Liam Delap urged his team-mates to snatch a chance to quickly put the defeat to United behind them and make a strong start to a week that will end with an FA Cup semi-final against Leeds United.
“It’s really disappointing because we feel we didn’t deserve that,’ Delap told Chelsea’s official website after the United loss.
“We were the better team. It’s a horrible feeling. Obviously we had one man go off and we needed to switch on and defend that moment, and we didn’t.
“On another day we score four in the second half, but it was just one of those days. It’s not like we’re not creating chances. We’re creating plenty of chances, but it’s just that fine tweaking of our finishing and it going in.
“We’re frustrated, but it’s on us and we have to put it right. We’ve got a big chance to do that on Tuesday.”
“We all believe in each other, and we have the belief we can get both of them,” Delap added of the dual aim of a top-five finish and FA Cup glory.
“That’s our plan, that’s our aim. We have to look forward to Tuesday, and then we’ve got a massive game against Leeds. If we just iron out a few little details then we should be all right.”
Brighton are targeting a return to Europe after reaching the last 16 of the Europa League in the 2023-24 campaign.
A win over Chelsea would move Brighton up into sixth and put them in an excellent spot to equal their highest Premier League finish, achieved in 2022-23.
“It’s a position we should really embrace and we need to enjoy these moments and games because it’s a great opportunity for us to grow,” Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler said in his pre-match press conference.
However, Hurzeler is wary of Chelsea’s threat despite their recent barren run.
“They have enough individual quality to beat every team in the league,” he added.
“They are not on the best run but they play good football. We have to play intense again if you want to compete with them.”
