Antonio Conte says Chelsea must maintain their winning run with victory in EFL Cup
Tuesday 23 August 2016 14:45, UK
Chelsea must maintain their winning streak by beating Bristol Rovers in the EFL Cup second round, says head coach Antonio Conte.
The former Juventus boss took charge at Chelsea in July after their disappointing 10th-place Premier League finish last season, and has won his opening two top-flight games against West Ham and Watford.
Conte is expected to make a number of changes for the visit of the Sky Bet League One team, including a possible first competitive start for £33m signing Michy Batshuayi, but does not want his side to let up against their lower league opponents.
Chelsea won just one of their opening five Premier League games under Jose Mourinho last season, and Conte was adamant his side's form must continue in the cup competition to keep morale high.
"Losing always leaves sad things in you," Conte said. "You can lose your confidence and, for this reason, it was important to win these two games because you can continue to trust in the work and raise the confidence of the players.
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"For these reasons it was important to start in the right way for all of us. Now we must continue and we have a great chance to continue in the next game at home."
Conte chose to start Batshuayi and Cesc Fabregas on the bench for Chelsea's opening two games, although both players had an impact as they came from behind to beat Watford at Vicarage Road on Saturday, with Batshuayi scoring his first league goal for the club.
The former Marseille forward is one of a number of players likely to be brought into the starting line up on Tuesday, with Victor Moses also pushing for a starting role after a good substitute performance against Watford.
Meanwhile, John Obi Mikel, who helped Nigeria earn a bronze medal at the Rio Olympics, is not expected to be available until Chelsea's Premier League clash with Swansea on September 11.
