Antonio Conte has said Chelsea must have a “positive” reaction to drawing Barcelona in the Champions League round of 16 but warned that the Blues’ past successes against the Catalan giants will count for nothing this time around.
“It’s the draw and our reaction must be positive,” Conte said. “As you know very well, when you are in this stage, you must be ready to face every team. In this case, we must be ready for Barcelona. The past is the past. Now is the present and it is another story.”
“When you play Barcelona you must give 120 percent home and away if you want to hope to go to the next round.”
“We have to try to stay up and fight for a Champions League place,” Conte added. “When it will be the moment to play Barcelona then we will think about that. We have to be very realistic that this league is very dangerous. We have to go game by game and play with 100 percent [effort].”
“We worked only today [Monday] with the players that played against West Ham,” Conte said. “When you have to play after two days you have to be ready and smart to prepare the game quickly and try to find the best solution for the team.
“Especially because a lot of players are playing a lot of games. It means some are a bit tired and I have to find the best solution and the right balance. It is important to find a solution for the moment and not look too far. In this case it is right to make a rotation.”
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