Frank Lampard insists that if Chelsea beat Arsenal tomorrow night it won't mean that the Gunners will be out of the top four race.
With 23 Premier League games gone, the Blues are currently ten points ahead of Mikel Arteta's side, making tomorrow's game at Stamford Bridge a key contest.
Both teams dropped points at the weekend, with Lampard's team losing 1-0 at Newcastle United and Arsenal being held to a 1-1 draw by Sheffield United at the Emirates.
And while the north London side have struggled this season for form, Lampard insists a win tomorrow night won't knock Arsenal out of the race for the Champions League spots.
"I wouldn’t say so, not this season," Lampard said. "I wouldn’t say so. Any team that puts strong runs together, the picture can change very quickly. So no, no.
"We know they are a competitor and some points behind us, but we know that if they beat us that they will feel they can close the gap on us. So we know the seriousness of what it is, and that is why it’s not better to look around too much and worry about ourselves.
"It would have been nice to have a gap, because the league is so competitive and so fluid. Sometimes we have had big gaps, sometimes small gaps, sometimes we have been chasing teams ahead of us.
"So of course it is disappointing, particularly when you do control a game like that, but to dwell on that is not something we should do. We have got games coming up thick and fast, important games.
"Our next league games are tough games, important ones with teams around us, so let’s not get too concerned with the gap but concern ourselves game by game and can we get wins."
