Following their win over Tottenham at the weekend, Chelsea do not play another Premier League match until February 19 when they travel to Selhurst Park to play Crystal Palace.
Thomas Tuchel has given his side a week off before preparations get underway for the FA Cup clash against Plymouth Argyle and the Blues then move on to the UAE as they seek to win the Club World Cup.
Those who are injured or returning to fitness will remain active at Cobham as they work their way back to the first team.
Chelsea have a less relentless schedule over the next three weeks or so and it provides the Blues with a great chance to catch their breath following a two-month period where they played 16 games.
Tuchel's team have endured concerns over their form and whether they have been drawn into a battle for the top four rather than a title race.
Spurs were even in touching distance before Chelsea's win at Stamford Bridge - if the Lilywhites won their games in hand, they would have gone above the Blues in the table.
They still could, but a strong Chelsea performance went some way to solidifying their position in the league table.
Speaking ahead of the match Tuchel said: "It's a big game because of course we can do our mathematics but it's strange to see the fixture and see teams competing for the same area of the table and having four games less.
"So this can lead to a wrong impression that you're comfortably ahead when you are not, so we have to make sure that this stays like this.
"The best chance is to win direct competitions against direct opponents, it's a London derby, it's a big rivalry, we know this and now it's the third time in a very short period of time.
"So they know what we do, and we know what they do. And things are clear. We managed to beat them twice and we will do everything to beat them a third time."
So, sitting third in the table, do Chelsea have the wrong impression?
The Carabao Cup finalists sit third in the table on 47 points from their 24 matches. They are one point behind Liverpool and 10 behind Manchester City, but are 10 ahead of Manchester United, 11 ahead of West Ham and 12 ahead of Arsenal and Tottenham.
However, the Blues have played more games than anyone else, having not had a match cancelled over the festive period and played Brighton to get ahead of the fixtures they would miss during the trip to Abu Dhabi.
Fortunately for Tuchel's side, they shouldn't find themselves in too different a position in the Premier League table when they return from the Club World Cup, although the distance in terms of points between themselves and their opponents may have altered.
Taking the worst-case scenario, Chelsea should remain in third upon their return.
Manchester City face Brentford and Norwich and could extend their lead by another six points but will have played one additional match.
Liverpool take on Leicester and Burnley so would move seven points clear after having played the same number of games if they too were to win both matches.
Those challenging for the top four may still have some way to go, however. Manchester United must prevail over Burnley and Southampton and would then be within three points after the same number of matches.
West Ham, who take on Watford and Leicester next, would still sit four points behind Chelsea having played one game more than Tuchel's side if they were to win both those matches.
Arsenal only have one such game, given their week 25 clash was supposed to be against Chelsea. A win over Wolves would see them eight points behind with two games in hand on their London rivals.
Spurs take on Southampton and Wolves and would remain five points behind if they could claim six points but would still have two games in hand, with the potential to therefore overtake the Blues.
As gameweek 24 takes place midweek followed by gameweek 25 the following weekend, it's likely any games will be caught up on during this period.
The chance of Chelsea's rivals all maintaining a 100% record seems unlikely but even if they do, the Blues' future will predominantly be in their own hands.
That means they will have time to rejuvenate for the rest of the season, while not losing their position in the league, something that should feel like a huge advantage to the Champions League winners.
