5 Key Remaining Fixtures in Chelsea's Season
Chelsea's struggles in the bottom half of the Premier League remain real, but it doesn't mean the Blues have nothing to play for between now and May.
They have 16 Premier League matches remaining in 2015/16—that means 48 points are still available—while their continued participation in the FA Cup and Champions League gives them the opportunity to win silverware, however slim the chances.
The target remains a top-four finish for Guus Hiddink's side. They are 14 points off the pace in pursuit of Champions League qualification, though, and must now start winning matches consistently if they are to stand any chance of realising that ambition.
They are set to face Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 of the Champions League, while Northampton Town or MK Dons await in the fourth round the FA Cup.
So which games will be the most important if Chelsea are to turn the tide and salvage something this campaign?
Join Bleacher Report as we identify five key clashes that remain for Chelsea in 2015/16.
February 16/March 9: Paris Saint-Germain (Away and Home)
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We're grouping the two legs of Chelsea's Champions League last-16 tie with Paris Saint-Germain as one game in our list because, ultimately, the aggregate score from this matchup will determine the club's fate in Europe for another season.
Put simply, this is a must-win. By hook or by crook, Chelsea need to get past PSG and advance into the quarter-finals.
The reasons are many. Top of the list is keeping their Champions League hopes for next season alive. It's looking highly unlikely the Blues will qualify via the Premier League this season, so actually winning the Champions League is their only option if they want to be competing with Europe's elite in 2016/17.
It's going to be difficult in the extreme. We can point to how Chelsea defied the odds in 2012 to give them hope, but that was with a different team. Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and Petr Cech have long since departed, and this team is lacking similar leadership.
Not only that, but the Champions League is a much more difficult beast to negotiate these days given the improvements we've seen from teams across the continent.
From here on out, it is cup football, though, and the sense of games being taken individually may well suit this Chelsea team.
The psychological barrier of climbing the league table isn't there, and it could give them the freedom to perform in the way we know they are capable.
Whatever happens, Chelsea can't be knocked out of the Champions League by PSG for a second season running.
It would effectively end their season.
February 27: Southampton (A)
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Coming on the back of Chelsea's trip to Paris for the first leg of that Champions League encounter, the Blues must travel to St. Mary's to face Southampton.
In any season of the past decade, a trip to the south coast at this time of year would only be important in that it would offer up the prospect of three points for Chelsea.
The landscape has changed. The Saints are among that group of clubs Chelsea must target as they bid to climb the table.
At the time of writing, Ronald Koeman's side is five points above Chelsea, occupying 10th place in the Premier League table.
Come late February, the situation may well have changed—in Chelsea's favour or not—but this game will still be a mid-table six-pointer.
If Chelsea are to pull off a remarkable second half of the season by finishing high up the Premier League table, they need to start by defeating the teams around them.
Southampton are one of those, and Chelsea will need a massive three points on the road against them.
March 5: Stoke City (H)
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Stoke City have beaten Chelsea twice this season. When Mark Hughes brings his team to west London in early March, Chelsea must ensure they don't make it a hat-trick of defeats against the Potters.
Indeed, Stoke have long been a barometer for success for the Premier League's so-called big guns, and they'll provide another tough test for Chelsea to prove their mettle in the season run-in.
Like Southampton before them—and any other team Chelsea face between now and May—Stoke are a scalp Chelsea must take.
Again, what makes this game so vital is it gives Chelsea the chance to snatch three points from a side above them and pick up some much-needed ground in their pursuit of fourth.
It's not about Arsenal and Manchester City any more. It's victories against the likes of Stoke that will shape how this season ends for the Blues.
March 12: Liverpool (A)
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Chelsea and Liverpool's seasons haven't been too dissimilar.
Both have failed to deliver in the way we expected this season. For Chelsea, it's been because of their status as champions; in Liverpool's case, it's because they spent big in the transfer market last summer.
Each club has also changed manager, with varying results.
What we're faced with is the teams coming together at Anfield in March with the need of beating the other being vital.
They're not challenging for the title, but both hold hopes of finishing in the top four, and taking three points will be crucial to that.
Given Chelsea are 14th and six points worse off than the Reds in ninth, their position is looking the more precarious of the two.
Jurgen Klopp's side compounded Chelsea's misery in October with a comprehensive 3-1 victory at Stamford Bridge.
The wounds from that defeat remain fresh, and victory at Anfield would be a psychological boost as Chelsea attempt to right the wrongs from the first half of the campaign.
It's the opportunity to win a massive game at a big stage of the season.
April 30: Tottenham Hotspur (H)
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We're being positive by flagging this clash with Tottenham Hotspur as being crucial for Chelsea in what remains of 2015/16.
Why? Well, there will be just two games remaining in the season after this match. If Chelsea take three points, the win could prove to be the biggest boost to their Champions League hopes for the following campaign.
The Blues are 14 points behind their London rivals, who also occupy fourth spot in the table.
If Chelsea can target this meeting in late April as they attempt to build momentum, it could prove the perfect opportunity to sneak into the Champions League positions.
It's going to take a monumental effort to do that, but the way this season has played out, the visit of Spurs to Stamford Bridge is hinting at being a major date in the calendar.
Normally at that late stage of the season, Chelsea are playing for much more than just European qualification. The tables have turned spectacularly, though, meaning their last London derby of the season could be crucial for a host of other reasons.
If it becomes a Champions League showdown, Chelsea would relish the opportunity of playing Spurs at home.
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