Arsenal will face a ‘totally different’ Chelsea – Conte

Antonio Conte believes Chelsea can make home advantage count against Arsenal on Saturday and prove how much his side have improved since their defeat against the Gunners earlier in the season.

That heavy loss at Emirates Stadium back in September proved the catalyst for their title charge, as the Blues switched to a back three and never looked back.

“For sure we face another great team who can fight for the title,” Conte said.

“Don’t forget that in the previous game, we lost 3-0 away. But I think this could be a good chance for us to show that now, in the second part of the season, we are a totally different team.

“It’s a good chance for us because we play at home. For sure it will be a really tough game, but we play at home and it’s very important to play at Stamford Bridge.

“This week is very important for us and we want to finish this week in the right way and prepare very well for this game against Arsenal.”

The Blues boss added that he is mindful the 1-1 draw with Liverpool will test his team’s powers of recovery for the weekend clash with the north Londoners.

“It’s important to recover well because today we wasted a lot of energy,” he said. “This game was incredible. Very tough, with great intensity.

“I am very pleased with the performance of my players, because it was not easy to play against Liverpool in this moment after [their] three defeats – and in this atmosphere.

“I know when I played in this type of atmosphere that it is very, very difficult. I’m very proud of my players and the personality they showed me.”