Chelsea head coach Antonio Conte understands that the first place in the group does not guarantee an easy draw in the 1/8 finals of the Champions League.

"Diego Simeone is an excellent coach. He did a fantastic job with Atletico in Spain. I know him very well. We often confronted each other when we played together in Italy. I met him and as a coach - he worked in the Serie A with Catania. This is one of the best trainers in the world, there is no doubt about that, "Conte.

"Atletico has always been a strong team - before and now. The Madrid team scored the perfect form, but the same can be said about us. I'm waiting for an open game, because both Atletico and we will play to win. The only difference is that we have already left the group, but strong teams should always strive to defeat the ".

"The situation with Atletico has changed. Three matches back they had problems, because did not score Grizmann. Now he is scoring. This is a fantastic striker, top player. We must give him the closest attention, but we must look after all. Atletico - a really strong team, one of the best in Spain ".

"The Champions League is a great tournament. This is the best tournament, each team seeks to reach the next round. We have a very difficult group: Chelsea, Atletico, Roma, and we should not forget about Karabakh. Atletico twice lost points with Karabakh, Roma, too, namuchalas. Not so long ago Atletico played twice in the finals of the Champions League.

It will be a surprise if they do not go to the 1/8 finals, but I repeat, it's not easy to get out of this group ".

"The main thing is we are already in the playoffs. I can only regret one game - in Rome. You always want to win. Of course, finishing second, you risk something, but even winning a group, you can get on the draw of Real Madrid, Bavaria or Juventus ".

The match between Chelsea and Atletico will be held on Tuesday, December 5. The beginning of the meeting at 21:45 Kiev time.