Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson has fancied Chelsea to secure a top four finish in the Premier League this season. The west London giants have experienced a mixed run of results since the beginning of the campaign but Merson believes the Blues can qualify for the Champions League after a strong display against Liverpool, where they suffered a slender 2-1 defeat.

“I think expectations have gone up now. After that performance, you’re looking at top four. When you see what’s around, you’re looking at top four. With losing the game, it’s backfired in a way – the expectations have gone up rather than down. I’ve seen enough yesterday to say they’ll be in the mix,” he was quoted as saying on Sky Sports.

The Blues have been able to produce several moments of excitement on the attack front where the likes of Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham have shone. However, that has not been the case in the defensive scheme of things where they have lacked the positional sense and this has cost them dearly in the form of points.

The Blues recently played out a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Liverpool and that was their second loss on the bounce across all competitions. The Capital outfit are currently 11th on the table after six league matches but they can take heart from the fact that they are just three points adrift of the top four of the Premier League.

Next up, they are scheduled to host Grimsby Town in the League Cup third round and Lampard should expect the team to come up with a dominant win. Callum Hudson-Odoi and Reece James are probable candidates to make the matchday squad after recovering from respective injury setbacks while Christian Pulisic should get some gametime after being an unused substitute during the past three games for the club.