Gary Cahill expects Chelsea to deliver a trophy this season, with the Conference League in their visor.
Chelsea Lead Legia Warszawa 3-0 on the way to the second stage of their quarter-final draw, which takes place on Thursday in Stamford Bridge.
Noni Madueke scored twice and Tyrique George took his first senior goal last week in a comfortable victory in Poland.
Fiorentina and Real Betis are the only other teams from Europe's Big Five Leagues that stay in the competition, and former Blues defender Cahill suggests that Chelsea should accept nothing but the victory in the tournament.
Asked by statistics performing whether he would be disappointed not to see Chelsea win the trophy, Cahill said: “Yes, if I am honest.
“I think it is clear that Chelsea is the strongest team in that competition. We do not want to respect or ignore another team. When you enter the last phases in these types of competitions, the best teams remain in the hat.
“In terms of the quality and depth that Chelsea has, the team they have, there would be an expectation to continue and win this competition.
“I have played for Chelsea for many years and that is the pressure. The pressure is to deliver and to win trophies and that is what they will now have on their shoulders.
“So I also think it would be great for Chelsea in terms of there is a real transition in the team. Very young players, the average age is super young.
“For their progress, I think picking up a trophy, especially this European trophy, will come in handy for the future.”
Chelsea followed their victory over Legia on Sunday with a 2-2 draw against Premier League Strugglers Ipswich Town.
That draw left them in the sixth. However, they are only three points behind the third place Nottingham Forest in what a fascinating race is for the Champions League places.
In one phase earlier this season, however, the blues were affected as potential title candidates.
However, the Supercomputer of Opta now predicts them to finish seventh, with their chances of doing this at 31.3%.
The playing style of Enzo Maresca has not always been taken by the Chelsea Faithful in his first season, but Cahill sees many positives.
“I like him. He is very practical. I was gone with Chelsea's preseason, I saw him working personally on the training field,” said Cahill, who has two Premier League titles and a Champions League triumph under his disturbances during his time with the blues.
“He has a clear way he wants to play and he still tries to develop this young Chelsea team.
“I think the next phase for this Chelsea team is only the consistency levels. They try to be consistent and then just dive. That is sometimes what you get from a young team and it is just for them to make it week in, week.”
Opta's Modelhands Chelsea A 29% chance of ending in the top five, which would be enough to get a return to the Champions League.
Cahill added: “They have a huge end to the season.
“We will see from the end of the season whether that has been the progress, but again, it is all in their hands. They can qualify for the Champions League and win a trophy, which would be a great season.”
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