Former Chelsea midfielder Ruud Gullit has backed the Blues to "find the right solution" in their struggle to secure Champions League football for next season.

The reigning Premier League champions currently sit fifth in the table, two points off the top four and some 19 points adrift of league leaders Manchester City.

As a result, Antonio Conte's future as Chelsea boss has come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks but Gullit - who led the side to an FA Cup triumph as manager in 1997 - thinks that the Italian's plight is "part of the game".

"It's a funny thing, every time you win something, the year after and you don't win, all of a sudden a lot of things happen," Gullit told Sports Mole at the Laureus World Sports Awards.

"It's not good for the confidence of somebody who works there, but I think Chelsea knows exactly what they're doing and I hope they find the right solution.

"I still hope that Conte will beat Barcelona in order to go further in the Champions League. Football is not fair at all - you don't always get what you deserve, so that's part of the game."

Chelsea remain alive in the Champions League, where they face Barcelona in the last 16, and are also into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.