Chelsea will be looking to close a five-point gap on fourth-placed Tottenham when they travel to Swansea on Saturday evening.
The Blues have turned their form around in recent weeks by winning three matches in six days, including an FA Cup semi-final against Southampton.
Now, they face a Swansea side who are fighting for their lives near the bottom of the Premier League table. Here are the five things to watch out for at the Liberty Stadium:
#1 Keep the momentum going
Chelsea have not suffered defeat since their 3-1 home loss to rivals Tottenham at the start of the month. Since then, they have booked their place in the final of the FA Cup, including picking up a vital three points away at Burnley. The Blues have five matches of the season remaining in all competitions and there is no doubt that they can use their recent surge in performance by winning their remaining games.
#2 Giroud to keep his place?
It’s been a tough few months for Olivier Giroud, who has made himself known in recent weeks. It all started a fortnight ago when the Frenchman came off the bench to inspire his team to a 3-2 victory at Southampton. Giroud started and opened the scoring in the FA Cup semi-final last Sunday and the Frenchman will be hoping to keep his place at the weekend.
#3 Chance to close the gap on Spurs
Tottenham supporters will be fretting over the weekend because Chelsea can close the gap on their rivals to just two points. Spurs will travel to Watford on Monday night looking to restore their lead from fourth-place. After recent slip-ups from Mauricio Pochettino’s side, Chelsea fans will be confident that they can claim a Champions League place with four matches of the season remaining.
#4 Hazard on form
Despite only having one goal to his name in Chelsea’s last three matches, Eden Hazard has arguably been his club’s best player. Hazard scored the winning goal away at Southampton a fortnight ago, he changed the game at Burnley from the bench and he was the Man of the Match against the Saints in the FA Cup. If the Belgian can continue these performances then Chelsea will be a threat to Tottenham in the race for the top four. Not forgetting their trip to Wembley in May.
#5 Ayew brothers threat
Swansea are currently sitting one place and four points above the relegation zone going into this fixture against Chelsea. The Welsh side will be well aware that three points, or even one point, could relegate two of their fellow Premier League rivals. There is no doubt that on the night, both Jordan and Andre Ayew will be the main threat for the home side. Jordan currently has three goals in his last four matches at the Liberty Stadium, with both brothers expected to start at the weekend.
