A four-point lead will be the carrot dangling in front of Chelsea as they host Everton in the English Premier League on Saturday.
Where to Watch Live
The game is scheduled for a 12.45 pm (7.45 am ET, 6.15 pm IST) start with live coverage on Star Sports 4 and Star Sports HD2 in India. The match can be watched via live streaming online in India HERE. Viewers in the US can watch the game on NBC Sports Network, and can also live stream the action HERE. The match can be live streamed in the UK HERE, while Australia viewers can catch the action live online HERE. Viewers in the Middle East and North Africa can live stream the game HERE, while the rest of Africa viewers can go HERE. Latin America viewers click HERE, while viewers in Germany can catch the match live HERE.
A little bit of revenge will also be on the minds of the players from the home side, with Everton managing a 1-0 win way back in September at Goodison Park.
However, this Chelsea side is a completely different beast at the moment, and the fact that the match will be played at Stamford Bridge, a venue where Jose Mourinho has never tasted defeat in the Premier League, only works in their favour a little more.
"They are a very good team, they're playing well and getting good results," Mourinho said of Everton, who haven't won at Stamford Bridge since 1994. "They are in a position in the table that reflects the quality of their team and obviously it will be a very difficult match for us.
"They defend well and are dangerous on the counter attack. They have a very experienced midfield with players like [Gareth] Barry and [Leon] Osman who give them stability to their game. They are a team with good balance and they are a difficult opponent.
"I don't think statistics play a part, it's an isolated game and it doesn't matter what happened in the past. We think we can beat them because we believe in ourselves and we worked hard during the week to be at a good level for the match. We are not influenced negatively or positively about what happened in the past.
"It will be a good weekend for us if we can beat Everton. To lose points at home is never good."
Chelsea went down 2-0 to Manchester City in the FA Cup last weekend, and the Blues, who lead Arsenal by one point at the top of the table, will want to bounce back as quickly as possible, but not if Robert Martinez and his Everton side have their way.
The Toffees are still in with a shot of finishing in the Champions League places, with eight points separating them from fourth-placed Liverpool, who have played a game more.
Martinez will know if he can do a double on Chelsea, it will keep Everton in good stead to finish in the top four come the end of the season.
"The game we have at the weekend is going to tell us a lot about our aspirations," Martinez told the club's official website. "It is only when you are competing against sides that are in the Champions League that you get an idea of how far we need to go.
"From the outside Chelsea look a team capable of competing for the title in the same way that Arsenal and Manchester City have strong arguments for winning the title. Now it is the stage of the season where people can talk about their aims.
"We are looking forward to the game. We know it is one of the hardest places to go and get three points and it will be a good measure of where we are. We are in a position now where we want to win every game we go into and we need to aim high.
"We have 13 games and the margins are very small. The points difference between us and the top four means it is still an achievable aim and we will give everything we've got.
"Chelsea have got terrific home form and a remarkable record over the years with this manager. But we know we can go anywhere in the league and play well."
Team news: Chelsea: John Terry makes a timely return from injury, with Mourinho set to be without central defender David Luiz. "John is fit and he will play," Mourinho said. "David Luiz is injured, he's feeling some pain in his muscle, he's not ready for this game but hopefully he will be ready for the next one [the Champions League last 16 first leg against Galatasaray]."
Everton: Apart from long-term absentees Bryan Oviedo, Arouna Kone and Darron Gibson, striker Romelu Lukaku also misses out as the Belgian is ineligible to play against his parent club.
Key men: Chelsea: Oscar has had plenty of rest for the Blues, and the Brazilian playmaker will want to put Everton to the sword with his playmaking skills.
Everton: With Lukaku ineligible, the onus will be on new signing Lacina Traore, who scored in the FA Cup against Swansea, to find the back of the net.
Expected lineups: Chelsea: Cech; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta; Ramires, Matic; Willian, Oscar, Hazard; Eto'o.
Everton: Howard; Coleman, Jagielka, Distin, Baines; McCarthy, Barry; Mirallas, Barkley, Pienaar; Traore.
Prediction: 2-1 to Chelsea
