Thomas Tuchel believes his Chelsea team will become sharper in the next two matches due to their massive significance.
The Blues go to Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon, knowing that anything but three points could see them drop out of the top four, depending on how Liverpool and Leicester City fare in their respective games.
The match is just six days before Tuchel takes his side to the Estadio do Dragao in Portugal for the Champions League final against Manchester City.
These two games will put immense pressure on the Chelsea squad, especially considering the FA Cup final defeat, but the boss sees this as a positive.
"I think so, you get absolutely focused," Tuchel replied when asked if he thrives under big-match pressure.
"I have the feeling that you get absolutely sharp when this pressure is on that we have now.
"These last two matches now, even if the pressure was on before, they are different because the situation is so clear now.
"It brings you to the edge, gets you out of bed early. You think twice, and you become sharp.
"This is what I demand of myself. We can deliver under pressure, I like that our team delivers under pressure consistently in top performances. This is what is needed now.
"We’ve brought ourselves to this situation which is a top, top thing.
"Everybody would have loved this situation in January, so now here we are.
"But everybody is calm, well aware what is needed on Sunday. We have full respect for Aston Villa and their quality, and Premier League away games in general, and the spectators.
"So we need our best, the best that we can be, and this clearly focuses us for the match."
