Antonio Conte says Chelsea fear nobody in Champions League
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte says that his side do not fear any side after the Blues finished second in their Champions League group, meaning they could face a tough draw in the Last 16.
The draw at home to Atletico Madrid ensured that Chelsea finished as runners-up in Group C behind AS Roma, and as such, they could get a difficult Last 16 tie against the likes of PSG or Barcelona.
Speaking after the game, Conte said that the bigger sides in Europe will be equally as fearful of drawing Chelsea.
When you go through to the next round in this competition, you must be prepared to face the best teams. We could play against Barcelona, PSG or Besiktas, but we must be ready. This is the best tournament. That’s why you want to go through and try and be a protagonist in this tournament. At the same time, our opponents won’t be happy to play against us. We’ll see what happens.
With the likes of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich finishing second in their particular groups, Conte was also quick to point out that topping your group does not always lead to an easier set of fixtures come the knockouts.
I remember during the European Championship with the Italian national team, we finished first in our group and played against Spain, then Germany and, if we’d beaten Germany, we’d have to play France.Sometimes it’s not so important (to finish first). We reached the next round and we must be happy with this. After a performance like this, the coach must be (happy).
The final set of Champions League games will be played tonight so Chelsea will find out exactly who they could face when the Last 16 ties are drawn next week.