In matchday thirty-five of the Premier League, Chelsea take on a relegation threatened Swansea City side at the Liberty Stadium tonight.
The Blues are currently fifth on the table with 63 points to their name. The are only 5 points behind Tottenham Hotspur and with 4 games remaining, still have a chance of making finishing in the top four. However, Antonio Conte insisted that the advantage remained with their rivals.
In his pre-match press conference, the Italian stated that only way to keep up the pressure on Pochettino’s men was to win. He said: “The reality is that Tottenham have a big advantage, but the only way to try to put a bit pressure on them is to get three points tomorrow.”
The only injury update that Conte provided was that of David Luiz, who won’t feature tonight as he is still recovering from injury. Marcos Alonso is still serving his suspension and will play no part in his side’s game tonight at the Liberty Stadium.
The Blues are expected to use their usual 3-4-3 formation and make only 1 major change to the side that started in their last week’s semi-final victory against Southampton in the FA Cup, by swapping out Willy Caballero for Thibaut Courtois in goal.
Gary Cahill, Cesar Azpilicueta and Antonio Rudiger are expected to start in defence. Conte was full of praise for his skipper, who has forced his way back into the starting XI by putting in some solid defensive performances in recent games, most recently last week against Southampton.
“We are talking about an important player for Chelsea and for the national team. He has great experience. He is playing in the middle now, and I think he is playing very well. He has to continue in this way,” before going onto insist that he deserved his place in the starting XI.
Further upfront, Emerson Palmieri and Victor Moses are expected to retain their places at wingback, while Cesc Fabregas and N’golo Kante are likely to start in central midfield. Eden Hazard and Willian are almost sure to start upfront with Olivier Giroud leading the line to the Blues.
In matchday thirty-five of the Premier League, Chelsea take on a relegation threatened Swansea City side at the Liberty Stadium tonight.
The Blues are currently fifth on the table with 63 points to their name. The are only 5 points behind Tottenham Hotspur and with 4 games remaining, still have a chance of making finishing in the top four. However, Antonio Conte insisted that the advantage remained with their rivals.
In his pre-match press conference, the Italian stated that only way to keep up the pressure on Pochettino’s men was to win. He said: “The reality is that Tottenham have a big advantage, but the only way to try to put a bit pressure on them is to get three points tomorrow.”
The only injury update that Conte provided was that of David Luiz, who won’t feature tonight as he is still recovering from injury. Marcos Alonso is still serving his suspension and will play no part in his side’s game tonight at the Liberty Stadium.
The Blues are expected to use their usual 3-4-3 formation and make only 1 major change to the side that started in their last week’s semi-final victory against Southampton in the FA Cup, by swapping out Willy Caballero for Thibaut Courtois in goal.
Gary Cahill, Cesar Azpilicueta and Antonio Rudiger are expected to start in defence. Conte was full of praise for his skipper, who has forced his way back into the starting XI by putting in some solid defensive performances in recent games, most recently last week against Southampton.
“We are talking about an important player for Chelsea and for the national team. He has great experience. He is playing in the middle now, and I think he is playing very well. He has to continue in this way,” before going onto insist that he deserved his place in the starting XI.
Further upfront, Emerson Palmieri and Victor Moses are expected to retain their places at wingback, while Cesc Fabregas and N’golo Kante are likely to start in central midfield. Eden Hazard and Willian are almost sure to start upfront with Olivier Giroud leading the line to the Blues.