ANTONIO CONTE’S Chelsea enter into a crucial few weeks as they look to take some pride from a season to forget for the reigning Premier League champions.

With Manchester City romping home, Chelsea’s title defence is all over, but, with Conte publicly critical of the club’s lack of support in boosting the squad, supporters are hopeful that they can still clinch some silverware and end a torrid season on a high.

It starts tomorrow tonight with the visit of Spanish giants Barcelona, as Conte’s team renew rivalries with an old foe in the Champions League.

However, they face both Manchester clubs over successive weekends in the league as they look to secure a top four finish this season.

Midfielder Cesc Fabregas, formerly of Barcelona, was in optimistic mood about the clash against his old club.

“I think they’re still a great side. You can see with coach Ernesto Valverde they play a different type of formation,” he said. “You can see that everyone is committed, everyone is giving their all, defensively and offensively.”

He added: “They are a team that try to put the first pressure very, very high, always working to have the ball, so, if we can pass this first phase of their pressure, if we have the cool head to do that and not put ourselves under too much pressure, I think we can hurt them because they will leave a lot of spaces at the back.”

Chelsea’s last match against Barcelona was a memorable semi-final in April 2012. A last-minute goal from Fernando Torres in the Nou Camp put Chelsea into the final, which they went onto win.

However, the Stamford Bridge faithful have not forgotten the encounter between these sides in May 2009.

This was the infamous meeting in which referee Tom Henning Ovrebo denied Chelsea a series of penalties. Barcelona’s Andres Iniesta went on to score a stunning last-gasp win on an evening of high drama in west London.

Barcelona appear a powerful unit heading into this match. In their last match, goals from Luis Suarez and Jordi Alba against Eibar took Barcelona 10 points clear, equalling a club record 31 matches unbeaten.

Their closest challengers Atletico Madrid closed the gap to seven points. However, Barcelona, five times winners of the European Cup, are still expected to win the league easily.

Under coach Valverde, Barcelona have become a more formidable unit, defensively sound and difficult to break down.

Despite the odds being stacked against them, Chelsea need to ensure that they are still in the tie after the first leg. Should they put themselves into that positon, the return leg in three weeks could be an interesting affair.