Antonio Conte has claimed that Chelsea will "probably" miss out on a place in next season's Champions League.
The Italian was speaking after his side's 2-0 win over Southampton in the semi-finals of the FA Cup, which kept them in the hunt for silverware this term.
Chelsea currently sit five points adrift of fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur with four Premier League games left, and are out of European competition.
Although Conte acknowledged that the top four remains a target for the Blues, he appeared to suggest that the FA Cup final was solace for the fans, given the club's lacklustre league campaign.
"We deserved to win the game and reach a second cup final in a row," the Italian told BBC Sport. "We are very pleased to reach the final, especially for our fans, they are the first to deserve this satisfaction.
"Now our target is to try and put a bit of pressure on the teams in front of us in the Premier League and get a place in the Champions League and finish as best as possible.
"It's important for us to reach a final in this competition especially because we are struggling a lot in the league. In the (EFL) Cup we reached the semi-final and in the league we dropped a lot of points and probably next season we will play in the Europa League and not the Champions League."
Chelsea return to league action next Saturday at Swansea City.
Giuseppe Labellarte
