Antonio Conte has backed Andreas Christensen ahead of Chelsea’s clash with title rivals Manchester City.
Danish defender Christensen, who spent the previous two seasons on loan at Borussia Mönchengladbach, is set to start Saturday’s game in place of the suspended David Luiz.
And Blues boss Conte says he believes the 21-year-old is ready to play in such a big game.
Conte said: “David Luiz is a very important player and for sure it is a big loss, but I think Andreas Christensen is playing very well and showing that he is a really good player.
“He is a young player but with good maturity and good experience and I am happy with his performances.”
Conte’s squad returned to London in the early hours of Thursday following their Champions League win against Atletico Madrid.
The Italian reiterated that he will assess his players ahead of the City game to see if changes need to be made in order to avoid fatigue.
“Don’t forget that the last game was really tough and this is a really important game,” the Italian said.
“Every single player performed very well but I have to check their physical condition and then make the best decision.
“It is only two days from the last game but I think we are ready. We are excited to play in this type of game.”
Conte added: “City are a really good team and have a lot of experience, but we are playing at home and for us our fans will try to push us from the start to the end and I think their support will be very important.”
This post was last modified on 30/09/2017