The Blues are back at the Bridge for the latest outing in our nine-game December, just three days after playing 1,750 miles away in St Petersburg in the Champions League.

Following a run of one win in our last four and a slip from first to third in the Premier League, the value of the points on offer against Marcelo Bielsa’s men appears more precious than ever, particularly with tough tests against Everton, Wolves and Aston Villa to come next.

Alonso is now a veteran of the unique festive pile-up of games in England and the challenging moments that come in reacting to patchy form, insisting that togetherness and stability are the key ingredients to a successful response.

‘We have to stick together with a lot of games,’ the Spaniard said this week. ‘There has been a lot of good stuff from the team lately so we just have to regroup and go again stronger to get back to winning ways.

‘At this point we have to fight for everything. We will try until the end for every competition and as long as we have the energy, we will try to be up for everything.

‘We’ve had a good start but the Premier League is about regularity and we need to be there consistently for 38 games.

‘Now there is another important phase with all the fixtures around Christmas and in January so it’s a very important time where you can determine where you want to be at the end of the season. We have some massive games now and we have to be ready for that.’

With four players remaining absent for the visit of the Whites – Ben Chilwell, Mateo Kovacic, N’Golo Kante and Trevoh Chalobah – there is a growing importance on fitness and freshness among the group.

Jorginho will have to ‘play through pain again’, according to boss Tuchel, while Reece James started in central midfield on Wednesday night in Russia as a solution to our issues in that area of the pitch. It all makes the need for collective responsibility even more crucial.

‘It’s massively important these days with the modern game we have to play,’ Alonso remarked about the Chelsea squad. ‘We are still fighting for every competition and after New Year we will start in the FA Cup so the squad is key.

‘You cannot fight for competitions if you don’t have a big squad. That’s how it works these days and we are lucky to have a very good group of 20 players so we are able to fight for everything.’

Leading that fight are Tuchel and his staff, who must find answers to some new problems posed in recent weeks. After outlining what needs to change from recent performances for this afternoon’s match, the Chelsea head coach received praise from his left-back for his detailed work with the players both on and away from the grass at Cobham.

‘He’s been a very good manager since he began and a great help for us,’ he stated. ‘We are lucky as players and staff with the group we have at the moment. It’s important how we perform on the pitch and how we train every day so it’s a big compliment for this group.

‘The manager is very important in helping us, not just on the pitch but off the pitch as well. He’s a very good manager, a very good man and we’re happy to have him.’

Leeds will arrive for the first Stamford Bridge contest between the two old rivals in front of a full house since May 2004 in 15th position in the league, though knowing a win could take them into the top half due to the clustered nature of the standings at present.

They will be without several regulars including former Blues Academy forward Patrick Bamford and England midfielder Kalvin Phillips, though Alonso insists the test from the Yorkshiremen remains as difficult as ever.

‘It’s a team that asks for a lot from the opponent and very physical so it will be tough again,’ he added.

‘We will have to match that intensity and fitness, then hopefully with our quality we will come out on top.’

There's still time to make your Play Predictor selections for the Leeds game by clicking here!