Bengaluru, April 24: Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has suggested that the Blues will be the underdogs in their FA Cup final against Manchester United on May 19 at the Wembley Stadium, kick-starting the round of mind games against his fiercest rival Jose Mourinho.
Chelsea booked the United date after comfortably defeating Southampton 2-0 last week. United, on the the other hand, had to fight-back to beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 at Wembley, Spurs' temporary home ground.
"This final is a game between two great teams," the Italian said. "I think this season we arrive not as favourites."
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Conte chose his words carefully as the Blues lost to Arsenal 1-2 last year after being tagged the favourites to win the Cup. With this statement, Conte hopes to play on Mourinho's minds and win the battle of wits ahead of the FA Cup final.
With Ancellotti being offered the Italian job we go live now to Antonio Conte for some reaction... pic.twitter.com/CvEll9pcGG
— Paddy Power (@paddypower) April 24, 2018
The domestic Cup is a big deal for both clubs as it's their only chance of obtaining a trophy this season. Chelsea slipped out of the title contention early and are now placed fifth on the Premier League table, 11 points behind second-placed Manchester United, who will more or less finish runners-up to Manchester City.
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Both Chelsea and United were knocked out in the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League. While Blues fell to La Liga giants Barcelona, United lost a disappointing fixture to Sevilla. Consequently, the FA Cup final will be the only last for both the managers to outwit each other.
Conte and Mourinho, after all, have been at loggerheads since the arrival of the Italian to replace Mourinho at Chelsea two years ago. Conte guided Chelsea to the Premier League title in his maiden season the EPL, while Mourinho had to makedo with the Europa League trophy.
Antonio Conte's record as Chelsea manager after 100 games in charge:
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) April 19, 2018
65 wins
19 defeats
16 draws
1 trophy
José Mourinho (72) the only Chelsea manager to win more. 🔵 pic.twitter.com/If9h6OyUv5
Even this January, they were both at each other. To Mourinho's comments about Conte failing to report a match-fixing attempt during his time in Italy, he called the Portuguese a "little man". Cut to April, Conte feels there's mutual respect between the two managers, further putting the ball on Mourinho's court.
"With Jose, we have clarified the situation," Conte said after the FA Cup semi-final win. "We are talking about two managers with strong characters, and two winners.
"When in your mind and your heart and your blood there is the will to win, for sure, we want to try to win this trophy.
"The same way Manchester United want to do this. I repeat, I have great respect for United's story, for Mourinho's story.
"They have the same respect, I think, for Chelsea's story and my story."