Chelsea manager Rafael Benitez has set his sights on finishing above Sunday’s opponents Manchester City in the Premier League.
A win for the Blues at the Etihad would take them to within a point of the current champions, who currently sit in second, and Benitez has warned City they would not be content to settle for third place. However, he has conceded the title is now Manchester United’s to lose.
This is a massive game.
Rafael Benitez
Chelsea are 12/1 to win 2-1 on Sunday, and are 4/1 to keep a clean sheet. Fernando Torres is 13/2 to score first.
“To finish as high as possible is a challenge,” he said. “So we’ll try to finish second if we can, you never know – this is a massive game, so let’s see where we are at the end. Until the last week, we may be fighting each other.
“My idea is to think about this one, because it will make the difference. If you are closer to City, you have to chase the second position.
“The other one (winning the league), it depends on United. If they don’t lose games and drop points it’ll be difficult. We just have to concentrate on us.”
Benitez is likely to field a much-changed line-up from the side that drew 1-1 against Sparta Prague on Thursday evening, with Frank Lampard, Branislav Ivanovic, Ashley Cole, David Luiz, Eden Hazard and Demba Ba all pushing for a start.
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