Chelsea will thrive under end-of-season pressure, claims Lampard

 

The Blues midfielder is pleased that the stakes are high for his team's final four matches of the domestic season as they chase the top four

Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard expects his team-mates to thrive on the pressure of securing a top-four Premier League finish as they enter their final four fixtures of the season.

The third-place Blues are three points ahead Tottenham, who lie in fifth, in the race for Champions League qualification but face both Spurs and Manchester United before the end of the campaign.

Lampard, however, believes Chelsea's experience competing for honours will stand them in good stead when the stakes are highest.

"I think it's good for us that we're playing games that matter," he told reporters. "When you're at a club like Chelsea you're used to pressure games and you feed off them.

"I would rather be challenging for the title in the last few games than playing for the top four, of course, but it's so important for the club to be in the Champions League and we all know that.

"We have to do what it takes to make it happen. You could say the United game next week will be the pivotal one but I think the Tottenham game will be more, probably.

"I think it will go to the wire but if we get the right results against United and Tottenham we'll put ourselves in a healthy position.

"Even so, just looking at it that way would be dismissing Aston Villa and when we go there we know they will be fighting for their lives, which will make it really tough as well."

Defender Gary Cahill, meanwhile, has set his sights on ending a second successive season on a high after the Blues' 2011-12 triumph in the Champions League.

"I hope so it can be the same as last year for me - that would be nice," the centre-back added. "Last season we had a great, strong finish, so let's hope we can do the same this year.

"We know what we have got to do from now until the end of the season so, we have got to start by putting performances in like Swansea and get the wins.

"The top four is in our hands. We are in a good position but we have to play United, Spurs and Everton, who people seem to forget are not far away.

"It's important that we keep getting the wins but we have to be confident we can do it. It's what we have to do."