Alvaro Morata admits nothing other than a victory against Bournemouth on Saturday evening will do if Chelsea want to stay in the title race.
Antonio Conte takes his Premier League champions to the Vitality Stadium, with his Blues side sitting nine points behind leaders City - who could be 12 points ahead of Chelsea by the time the Blues play as Pep Guardiola's side take on West Brom in the 3pm kick-off.
With second-placed Manchester United and third-placed Tottenham playing each other earlier in the day, Morata has his sights set on inspiring Chelsea to a win over relegation-threatened Bournemouth to ensure the champions remain in the title race this season.
"It’s very important for us because now we are not too far behind Manchester City," Morata told Chelsea's official website when asked about the trip to Bournemouth.
"We need to keep working, it’s not easy but we need to give everything in order to stay up there with the two Manchester clubs and Tottenham.
"We can’t afford to give other teams more points if we want to have the possibility of winning the league."
Chelsea's last visit to Bournemouth in April saw the Blues secure a 3-1 win, a game in which Eden Hazard scored in.
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The Belgian recently returned from injury to net his first goals of the season in Chelsea's 3-3 draw with Roma, and he revealed his confidence is high because of his return to form and, indeed, the Blues' recent results against Howe's men.
He said: "The goals help, for sure. The goals help the confidence. For the body, you just need practice and to play. That’s it.
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"We know Bournemouth is a good team, they like to play football and have good players, but when we go there we do well also. Last season, we scored three goals; two years ago, we scored four goals. So, yes, I think everything is ready for us to have a good game."