Antonio
Conte has backed the "best striker in the world" Diego Costa to upstage
Everton's Romelu Lukaku on Sunday - and to guide Chelsea to Premier League
glory.
Belgium hitman Lukaku tops the league scoring charts with 24 goals and will
be looking to sink his former club when the leaders visit Goodison Park.
But, even though the 23-year-old has been linked with a summer return to
Stamford Bridge, Blues boss Conte continues to insist he prefers his 19-goal
talisman Costa.
Costa ended a five-match barren spell in the Premier League with a brace in
Tuesday's 4-2 win over Southampton, leaving Conte purring over the Spain
forward's battling qualities.
"For sure, Lukaku's a good player because he showed in this different season
that he scored a lot of goals," the Italian said.
"He's a good guy but for us Diego is a very important player and, in this
part of the season, he will be decisive for us.
"I hope it will be Diego who decides Sunday's game because that means we win
the game.
"We are talking about two great strikers. But you know that Diego, for me,
is the best striker in the world.
"I hope he will be decisive in this game and from now on until the end of
the season.
"In this part of the season, for sure, it's very important to have players
with good personality, with good strong characters, because you must be
ready to face a different situation.
"I think in the team we have a lot of warriors. I work every day to bring
them to be warriors.
"I think it's great to have talent. It's great to have talent. But I like a
lot when you are a warrior during the game and, above all, if players with
talent show they work hard during the game."
Challenging Chelsea to take another "very important step" towards the league
crown at Everton, Conte revealed the English dressing-room practice that has
taken him by surprise in his first Premier League campaign.
"It was very strange the first time to arrive and to listen to the music in
high volume in the dressing room," Conte said.
"It was not a shock but I always thought that before the game you must be
focused, no? And I thought silence helped find the focus.
"The music is always different, but for sure, it's not classical music."
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