Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has confirmed David Luiz will make his second debut for the club on Friday against Liverpool.
The Italian coach addressed the press on the eve of the contest, which will be his biggest test as Blues boss so far. With captain John Terry sidelined due to injury, Conte confirmed that Luiz, who re-signed for the club from Paris Saint-Germain this summer, will be in the starting XI, per the club’s official Twitter feed:
It’s the kind of contest that Conte will relish, as these games against Liverpool have included plenty of needle down the years.
However, with three wins and a draw from his first four matches in charge in the Premier League, Conte will be confident of continuing the side’s decent form. In addition, in Diego Costa, Chelsea are in possession of one of the division’s most prolific goalscorers.
The striker has also picked up three yellow cards this season, although that’s not something too concerning to the manager:
In the opposite dugout at Stamford Bridge will be Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, another manager who gets caught up in the emotional side of the contest.
Although he’s only come up against a Klopp side on one occasion, Conte had high praise for the German coach, labelling him as one of the very best coaches in the world:
While Luiz will come into the side on Friday, for another summer signing, left-back Marcus Alonso, the Chelsea boss stated he may have to wait for his debut.
The Spaniard signed from Fiorentina for £23 million in the final embers of the transfer window, and according to Conte, he’s likely to get his first runout in a blue shirt against Leicester City in the EFL Cup on Tuesday:
While one transfer window has only just closed, there was some talk in the media briefing about January activity.
One name that came up was that of Cesc Fabregas, who has yet to start for the Blues in the Premier League for the new manager.
Naturally, those decisions have triggered some speculation, although Conte has maintained the former Barcelona man has an important role to play in the future, per Sam Cunningham of the Daily Mail:
The former Juventus boss also had time to discuss the threat posed by the Reds, especially given just how clinical they’ve been in front of goal lately, per Liam Twomey of ESPN FC:
Conte has had a few tastes of Premier League football since arriving in England, although this’ll be the first time he’s gone toe-to-toe with a genuine rival for the top spots in the division. It’s the kind of contest he relished during his time as Juventus and Italy manager, and one that’ll align well with his passionate persona.
It’ll be a huge challenge for his team, too, especially with what’ll be a rejigged back four. Liverpool have found a tremendous attacking groove under Klopp and will put the Blues under plenty of pressure.
Withstanding that barrage and taking the points from this one would give Conte the first major scalp of his Chelsea tenure.