Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has warned his side that they will face a difficult test when they look to take another step towards the Premier League title by visiting Everton at Goodison Park on Sunday.
On paper, the match looks like Chelsea's toughest outing from their final five games, with Everton having won all eight of their home league matches since the turn of the year, scoring 29 goals in the process.
Any slip-up would hand Tottenham Hotspur the chance to close the four-point gap at the top of the table when they host Arsenal in the North London derby later that afternoon, although Chelsea also only need a draw to guarantee Champions League football next season.
Asked whether Everton are their toughest remaining test, Conte told reporters: "I don't know, but Everton are a really good team, a strong team, with great players in their squad and a physical team. They have a good coach, a good manager. They play organised football. It will be a very tough game for us, for sure, but at the end of the season, every game becomes tough for many different reasons.
"For us, it's very important to look at ourselves, prepare very well and arrive to play this game with great physical condition, good organisation, to know our tasks defensively and offensively. When we started this season, our first target was to play in the Champions League next season.
"It's an important target for the club, for the fans, for the players. But, for sure now, we stay in a position to try also to win the league. Obviously, with six teams between Chelsea, Tottenham, City, Arsenal, United, Liverpool, two strong teams won't play next season in the Champions League.
"It's 11 games that we are not able to keep a clean sheet and, for this reason, it's important to improve, to work on the situations we're conceding the goals. I'm not concerned about this, but at the same time, we are working on it."
After Everton, Chelsea will face Middlesbrough, West Bromwich Albion, Watford and Sunderland in their final four games of the season.
Barney Corkhill
