Everton striker Wayne Rooney has backed Chelsea to finish in the top-four of the Premier League despite their indifferent form since the turn of the year. The Blues have struggled to put up a long winning run together in 2018, and this sees them hanging onto fourth position, just one points ahead of Tottenham Hotspur.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Rooney was asked to rate the Blues' chances of making the Champions League positions, and the former England international responded in the affirmative by suggesting that they have experienced within the ranks to get the job done, he said: "I think they will finish in top four. They have enough experience in the team. They’re going through a bad period. They have to sort themselves out but there is still enough quality in the team."

Chelsea experienced back-to-back defeats against Watford and Bournemouth in the Premier League, but they have since sorted themselves out with victories over West Bromwich Albion and Hull City in the league and FA Cup respectively.
Despite this, they could have the toughest challenge yet in the Champions League in midweek with Barcelona due to arrive at the Stamford Bridge for the last 16 first-leg with the tag of being favourites only to their collective progress across all competitions.
The Blues have managed to have the dominance over their Catalan counterpart in terms of victories over the past decade, but there is still the away-goal rule to worry about as it often proves the difference between sides during the knockout stage of the competition.
Following Barca's exit, Chelsea have key games against the likes of Manchester United and Manchester City in the top-flight, and their form through this period could define whether they can maintain their slender lead over Spurs in the pursuit of a top-four finish to the campaign.