Why Antonio Conte thinks Hull can give Chelsea an advantage vs Barcelona

Vaishali Bhardwaj30 January 2018

Antonio Conte has welcomed Chelsea's FA Cup tie against Hull because the Italian believes it will give the Blues an advantage going into their Champions League clash with Barcelona.

Chelsea have been drawn to face Hull at home in the fifth round of the FA Cup, with the tie set to be played on the weekend of 17-18 February - a few days before Conte's side then host Barcelona in their Champions League last-16 match at Stamford Bridge.

The Spanish giants, meanwhile, must travel to take on Eibar away in La Liga on Saturday 17 February, before making the trip to London just two days later.

And Conte admitted he is happy with Chelsea's FA Cup draw against Hull at home because of the boost it could give his side due to the lack of travel involved.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Conte said: "It [the Hull match] is before the game against Barcelona.

"As you know very well, you can speak about a good draw after the game when you've won and you are through into the next round.

"Otherwise, this Cup is very difficult. Every game is very tough.

"We have to pay great attention also in this game because we want to continue our run in this competition.

"[But] for sure, this is positive [to have a home tie before the Barcelona game]. I must be honest, it's an advantage to play at home.

"You saw in the past that, in the first game against Norwich, we struggled a lot and went through at home.

"To play at home before the Barcelona game is positive, but positive because we have a great opportunity to go through to the next round with only one game."

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