Interim Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink has insisted that finishing in the Champions League qualifying places is still a possibility for his side this season.
The defending Premier League champions lost nine of their opening 16 games of the season to leave themselves just outside the relegation zone, but they are currently on their longest undefeated streak of the campaign following an upturn in results since Jose Mourinho's departure.
They remain 13 points adrift of fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, but Hiddink is not giving up on the idea of a top-four finish and hinted that he would give young players such as Ruben Loftus-Cheek a chance to prove themselves in the process.
"So long as we have the possibility to go to fourth place we will go for that. It's not that we are without chances to go there and then we bring in youngsters, no," Hiddink told reporters.
"I will not hesitate whenever possible to bring in youngsters as well. The youngsters must try to learn also to work under this pressure.
"You cannot expect that every game is an exciting game, but all the coaches I think like to see their game played in an exciting way."
Chelsea will go in search of back-to-back league wins for the first time this season when they host West Bromwich Albion on Wednesday.
Barney Corkhill
