Rewind a few weeks and there was no doubt from anyone that Chelsea were marching towards the Premier League title in Antonio Conte’s maiden season as a manager in English football.

However, after uncharacteristic losses against both Crystal Palace and Manchester United, coupled with the continued form of closest challengers Tottenham reducing the gap at the top to just four points, some have begun to cast doubts.

Almost as if fate meant it to be, the two London rivals face off in the first of two FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley Stadium this weekend almost as if it were a precursor to the final month of the Premier League season.

The two have already faced each other twice in their league campaigns, with a win a piece leaving them level for the season going into the FA Cup tie this weekend.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side are on a sensational ten game unbeaten run, having scored 13 goals in their last four games conceding just once in reply.

The north Londoners are blowing teams away for fun at the moment, which has added pressure to Chelsea’s run in, however, a win over them under the arch this weekend could well put an end to such pressures.

The efforts put in by Conte’s side earlier in the season, having given them a ten point lead up until a few weeks ago, should be enough to carry them over the line in their run-in, in which their toughest games see them face Southampton at home and Everton away.

Conversely, with Spurs having to make up ground and hope the west Londoners continue to choke, Pochettino must also gain results from clashes with Manchester United, West Ham and a North London Derby against fellow FA Cup semi-finalists Arsenal.

With tough fixtures ahead, Pochettino will be in need of a huge win over Conte’s side this weekend as they look to pile on the mental pressure for the remaining weeks of the campaign.

However, the former Juventus manager will be well aware of what happened to Spurs’ title push last season when they fell away in the final weeks of the season, allowing Leicester to march to the title. With that in mind, the Italian will be hoping a win in the semi-final could well supply the mental ammunition needed to trigger such a slump once more.