After tonight’s match against Aston Villa, who currently hold a six-point advantage over us in the Premier League table, there will be only nine matches remaining of our top-flight campaign.

It's why the battle to finish in a Champions League berth – likely to come through the top five positions – is hotting up. The Blues still have to play four of the teams above us, including Villa, and Rosenior is under no doubt what would constitute a positive finale to the campaign.

‘A successful season for this club has to be to qualify for the Champions League,’ he said. ‘It has to be. That’s the level that this club is. So, where we are, we still have a very, very good chance of achieving that.

‘To win a trophy would also be amazing; it's something that's achievable. It’s funny because this week was the first time we’ve trained with the white balls – and that’s normally a sign we’re into that period of the season.

‘When those white balls come out, you can't make the mistakes we've been making because we're running out of time. That's the message my staff and I have given the players.’

While qualifying for Europe's elite competition next season is clearly a key ambition, Rosenior insists he will not prioritise the league over the Champions League and FA Cup. Knockout ties in those competitions against Paris Saint-Germain and Wrexham await us later this month.

He said: ‘I don't look at it that way. I want to win every game I play. That sounds very cliché and generic, but it's true. I want to win every game we play. That's why we're here at this club.

‘So no matter what the competition, no matter what the starting line-up, no matter what the opposition, whether it's Arsenal away, Aston Villa away or Wrexham away, we want to win and we expect to win every game we play.’

Tonight Chelsea will be wearing our third kit, inspired by the one worn during our historic 2004/05 campaign. Supporters wishing to purchase men's sizes of our third kit can pre-register their interest ahead of its imminent restock, while women's and children's sizes can be bought now.