Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has insisted Sunday’s clash with Tottenham Hotspur is a must win for the Blues.

Conte’s men welcome Spurs to Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon it what could prove to be pivotal game in the race for fourth position.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side currently occupy the coveted position, which guarantees entry in the qualifying rounds of next season’s Champions League, while Chelsea trail five points behind in fifth.

However a victory for the Blues at the weekend will put them within touching distance of Spurs and set up a nail-biting end to the season.

Spurs have not won at Stamford Bridge in 28 years, a record Conte insists his side must maintain.

“This is an important game for us,” the Chelsea manager said. “Our target for this final [stretch] of the season is to take a place in the Champions League and reach the final of the FA Cup. If we win on Sunday we’ll go very close to Tottenham. Otherwise it will be difficult to take a place in the Champions League.

“We are talking about a great team, a really good manager and a team with many talented players. I have great respect for Tottenham. In the last few years they grew a lot. Now they’re one of the best teams in England. But nothing is impossible.”

If Conte’s side are to take themselves to within just two points of Spurs however, they may have to do it without two of their key players.

Both Thibaut Courtois and Andreas Christensen withdrew from international duty with Belgium and Denmark respectively during mid-week with injury problems, and both will have to be assessed prior to the weekend’s game.

“We have two big problems – Courtois and Christensen – and we have to check if they are in the right physical condition to have good games,” Conte added. “Otherwise I have to make a different decision. One solution would be Cahill in the middle. We are talking about a great player and someone I trust, and it wouldn’t be the first time Cahill would play in this role.

“With Barkley, we are talking about a player that is coming back from a bad injury, seven months without playing. We want to have patience with him and then to be sure before we bring him back to the first team.”