Liam Rosenior acknowledged the difficulty his Chelsea team are facing to qualify for the Champions League as they prepare for a difficult run of league fixtures. 

Chelsea, who are fifth in the Premier League, make the trip to Emirates Stadium on Sunday to face rivals and league leaders Arsenal, but the big games come thick and fast.

The Blues' clash with Arsenal is followed up by clashes with Aston Villa, Newcastle United and Everton, with both Manchester clubs to come after the March international break. 

Chelsea have lost eight of their last nine away Premier League matches against sides starting the day top of the table, winning the other 2-1 against Manchester City in May 2021.

And given their run of upcoming fixtures, the Opta supercomputer has handed Chelsea a 20% chance of finishing in the top four, though with fifth place looking like it will also seal a Champions League spot, their probability rises to 44%.

"Firstly, I take it game by game. I've had this conversation with you guys before. The Premier League is so difficult every week," Rosenior said of Chelsea's matches. 

"I don't judge one game as hard as the other. There are different tactical things you can work on. I'm really happy with the group and the start we have made.

"We've won eight out of 12, and it should be 10 out of 12. That's not bad. I'd love to see what this supercomputer looks like. I don't think about it in that way.

"I want the players to be as physically and mentally fresh as possible. They've looked really good in training this week. We need to stay calm and consistent in our process.

"This club should be in the Champions League, this club is a Champions League club. When I took over, we were eighth. We're now in the race."

Chelsea have often been second best when facing Arsenal in the Premier League of late. The Blues are winless in their last eight top-flight games against Mikel Arteta's side (D3 L5), their longest since a run of 19 between 1995 and 2005.

Arsenal have also won their last three home league games against Chelsea, last winning more consecutively between 1990 and 1994 (five).

And two of the Gunners' summer arrivals, Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres, are beginning to hit form at the business end of the season. 

After his brace in the north London derby, Eze has scored each of his last 11 Premier League goals in the capital, with all six of his goals for Arsenal this season coming in London derbies (one vs Crystal Palace, five vs Tottenham), the most ever by a player in a season without scoring outside of London derby games. 

Gyokeres, meanwhile, has scored more goals in 2026 across all competitions than any other Premier League player, with eight of his 15 total goals for the Gunners coming this calendar year.  

"I worked with Viktor at Brighton's Under-23s. Viktor has started to build his confidence and has shown he can score goals for Arsenal," Rosenior added.

"Eze, I have come up against many times. We know it's going to be a very difficult game, but they know it's going to be a difficult game for them as well."

Rosenior was also on hand to react to the news that Chelsea were drawn against defending champions Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 of the Champions League on Friday. 

The Blues boss faced PSG three times in Ligue 1 during his time in charge of Strasbourg, winning once (D1 L1).

"So excited. PSG are a fantastic team. I have experience of playing against them in France. I have always admired them. Luis Enrique has done an incredible job," Rosenior said.

"These are the games you live for, games that you come into football for. It's going to be a great tie. But we've got another three games before that I need to focus on."