Jose Mourinho says Chelsea's Premier League title prospects rest in the hands of rivals Arsenal and Manchester City.
Mourinho's side boosted their chances with Monday's impressive 1-0 victory over Manuel Pellegrini's City side at the Etihad Stadium.
But the manager maintains his team remains the weakest of the three main contenders for the championship because they are still a work in progress during the Portuguese's first season back at the club.
And Mourinho claims Chelsea remain in contention largely because of the failings of the top two.
"I'm not saying we're not going to win. I'm saying we're not candidates. We're outsiders," he said on Friday.
"We're playing in our own league, to try and improve, against ourselves. To try and get the best result against our opponents.
"We're not a squad like City's, where players are in the best moment of their careers, an age of stability between 24, 25, 26 and their 30s, all of them working together for quite a long time, a manager who arrived and the team was ready for him.
The visit of Newcastle United to Stamford Bridge on Saturday presents Mourinho's team with the chance to avenge a 2-0 defeat at St James' Park earlier in the season.
The manager believes his side have progressed since that loss in early November.
Mourinho will not rush Fernando Torres back into the starting line-up despite the striker returning to training this week after a knee ligament injury.
