Chelsea have a gameplan ahead of ‘massive game’ – Conte
Antonio Conte says Chelsea should relish the chance to take on Barcelona.
Speaking on the eve of the Champions League clash at Stamford Bridge, the Blues boss declared that he had a gameplan – and every confidence in his players.
“When you play this type of game you have to prepare everything,” Conte said.
“You have to prepare the big things and the details. We have an idea. We have a plan in our heads.
“For us it is very important to pick players who are in top form and to try to give our best during the game.
“We have studied the opponent very well and now we have to try to play and do what we know.
“We are talking about a massive game. We must be excited to play this kind of game.”
The spotlight will inevitably be on Barca superstar Lionel Messi, but Conte warned that the likes of former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez also pose a major threat.
Asked if he had made special plans to deal with Messi, Conte said: “This is a good question. We are talking about the best player in the world.
“He has the capacity to solve the situation and create a chance when you are not seeing the chance to score.
“This means that we are talking about a fantastic player and for sure we have to pay great attention, but not only to Messi but Suarez is a fantastic striker and the whole team is very dangerous.
“We have to work as a team to stop Barcelona and we know that during the game we must be prepared to suffer without the ball, but we must also have the idea that in every moment we can try to score.”
Meanwhile, Chelsea star Eden Hazard has played down speculation over his long-term future ahead of the game.
