Chelsea
must maintain their winning streak by beating Bristol Rovers in the EFL Cup
second round, says head coach Antonio Conte.
The former Juventus boss took charge at Chelsea in July after their
disappointing 10th-place Premier League finish last season, and has won his
opening two top-flight games against West Ham and Watford.
Conte is expected to make a number of changes for the visit of the Sky Bet
League One team, including a possible first competitive start for £33m
signing Michy Batshuayi, but does not want his side to let up against their
lower league opponents.
Chelsea won just one of their opening five Premier League games under Jose
Mourinho last season, and Conte was adamant his side's form must continue in
the cup competition to keep morale high.
"Losing always leaves sad things in you," Conte said. "You can lose your
confidence and, for this reason, it was important to win these two games
because you can continue to trust in the work and raise the confidence of
the players.
"For these reasons it was important to start in the right way for all of us.
Now we must continue and we have a great chance to continue in the next game
at home."
Conte chose to start Batshuayi and Cesc Fabregas on the bench for Chelsea's
opening two games, although both players had an impact as they came from
behind to beat Watford at Vicarage Road on Saturday, with Batshuayi scoring
his first league goal for the club.
The former Marseille forward is one of a number of players likely to be
brought into the starting line up on Tuesday, with Victor Moses also pushing
for a starting role after a good substitute performance against Watford.
Meanwhile, John Obi Mikel, who helped Nigeria earn a bronze medal at the Rio
Olympics, is not expected to be available until Chelsea's Premier League
clash with Swansea on September 11.
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