Chelsea FC and Their Champions League Battle

Amidst the fallout of the weekend's Premier League action, with talk of Liverpool's demise dominating conversation, we saw Chelsea claw back three points on Arsenal in the fight for the top four.

With seven games left, that leaves the club five points behind Arsenal and their North London rivals, Tottenham Hotspur. The question is: Can they bridge that gap?

It is Spurs who perhaps have the kindest fixture list, whilst Arsenal's omission from the Champions League could arguably count in their favour.

Frank Lampard, however, doesn't believe participation in Europe's elite competition can be described as distracting for Chelsea, according to Sky Sports.

Positives

The stalwart midfielder believes that Chelsea have to fight to compete in both competitions, giving themselves the best shot at qualifying for next season's Champions League.

If they fail to overturn either Arsenal or Spurs domestically, Lampard believes getting to and triumphing in a European final is a viable option.

What do fans think, though?

Can the Stamford Bridge outfit complete what looks an unlikely run of results? Or will the might of Barcelona, Real Madrid or Bayern Munich prove too much?

Since Roberto Di Matteo took temporary charge, a remarkable turnaround has been seen.

In eight matches, Chelsea have won six, losing and drawing just a single game each, the pinnacle of which came at home in Europe against Napoli with a 4-1 victory to complete the tremendous turnaround.

So, what is responsible?

Rejuvenation

The whole squad seems much happier playing under Di Matteo than they did under former manager Andre Villas-Boas.

None more so than Fernando Torres, whose all-around play has come to resemble what we used to see consistently at Liverpool.

He does, of course, still have a long way to go to justify the £50 million fee paid, but at least signs are beginning to show that he won't be the flop he's looked like over previous months.

With things seemingly on the up then, can Chelsea do the improbable and crash the Champions League party next season?

Or will they have to regroup, rebuild and go again next season?