Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Conte urges Chelsea to embrace Barca challenge
ANTOINIO Conte believes his Chelsea side must embrace the pressure of hosting Barcelona.
The Blues boss conceded he has had trouble sleeping in recent nights as he plans how to beat the Catalan giants over two legs to progress into the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
The opening leg takes place at Stamford Bridge tonight with the visitors the heavy favourites.
Chelsea may be the reigning Premier League champions but their defence has been poor and they have won only four of their last 12 domestic fixtures heading into this heavyweight clash.
“I don’t know how many times I have had to answer about the pressure,” Conte said.
“This is football. Football is this. If you want to compete at the maximum level, you have to live with this pressure.
“A team like Chelsea in every game must have the right pressure. We have to try to play the game with only one idea, to try and win.
“Sometimes you are able to. Sometimes not. But that must be your idea. You have to live with the pressure. If we want to stay at this level, the pressure must be your friend, not your enemy.”
Despite a league win over rockbottom West Brom and FA Cup progression over Championship strugglers Hull, Chelsea are still underdogs — even though they hold an impressive record over Barcelona.
Conte added: “In these days after the game in the FA Cup, I must be honest, it was a bit difficult to sleep well.
“We have an idea. We have a plan in our heads. I think that, in this specific moment, it’s very important to pick the players who are at the top of their form and then try and do our best to win the game.”