Antonio Conte confirms three injuries for Chelsea vs Manchester United, Olivier Giroud could start

How does the signing of Alexis Sanchez effect his preparation?

"I think United was strong before and is strong now. For sure, when you add a player like Sanchez, you are stronger, but our situation doesn't change, we have to prepare for the game. My expectation is to see him on the pitch with Lukaku, then I don't know, another midfielder or a number 10."

Stronger squad, United or Chelsea?

"This is not important, I think my squad."

Would a draw be good enough?

"I think you have to start the game with only one target in your mind, to try get three points. I think this is important for the mentality, if you have a winning mentality, you have to try to reach one result, to win. During the game, a lot of situations can happen. A draw against United could also be a good result but only after you try to play to win. Last season, we lost the game, we must pay great attention, we are talking about a fantastic team."

How influential is Pogba for United?

"As I said before, I am focused on my team, I don't like to go and watch what happens with other teams and to give opinion. I think this is a lack of respect, we must look at ourselves to do our best."

Importance of Courtois and Alonso

"For sure last season, Alonso was injured in the warm up, but as I said before, it is not simple to play at Old Trafford. You play against a really strong opponent, for this reason, we have to prepare very well with great focus. This type of game for me is very simple to prepare the game because there is great concentration and great focus."

Could Giroud start?

"I think Olivier is working very well with us, I am pleased because he will stay with us for a long time. For tomorrow's game he is in contention, we will see over my final decision."

How big an achievement would doing the double over United be?

"I think I consider it a big achievement if you win something after the season. If you are happy after winning one game against a big team it means your mentality is little. It will be a big achievement for us if we are able to win something, to be able to take the target you started the season with.

If we win, we are happy, but then there are 10 games to go."

Will you take risks to win at all costs?

"When you want to get three points, to win, you mustn't lose your balance. To take risks? We must play with balance, with intelligence and understand the way we are to attack and to counter attack. With players like Lukaku, Lingard, Sanchez, Martial, we must pay great attention or we risk to lose."

Would you have wanted to play in this game?

"This is not a simple game, when you play at Old Trafford, it is not simple. But at the same time after our game against Barcelona, this test is important for us to see our reaction in a difficult atmopshere."

Christensen's reaction to mistake?

"Personally I forgot about his mistake. Also for him. When you are a player, you can make a lot of mistakes, if I have to talk about my mistakes from my career we would be here all day.

"Christensen is having a fantastic season, showing great maturity and his performance apart from the mistake was wonderful. I trust Christensen, he is a present player for Chelsea but also for next 10, 12 years, he can also become the captain of this team in the future."

How confident will Chelsea be after Barcelona performance?

"This performance can bring great confidence, but at the same time this performance can make you think, if we are ready to work hard for the team, it is hard to play against us."

Getting the best out of Pogba?

"Every coach has to find the right way to manage him. Pogba is showing at United he is a top player. "

Does he expect to see Pogba start?

"My expectation is to see him on the pitch. If he stays out it will be better."

His war of ward with Mourinho...

"In the past we both said some things. For me it is okay, I am not interested in speaking about this topic."

Conte on United's recent troubles

"United are always dangerous. There squad is big, fantastic players. This team is also physical, we must pay great attention because when you play against United ylou need to know anything can happen. You are playing against a really strong team. A massive game for us, we must do our best to put 120% of our strength in to get three points, we must try to do this."

Is this a significant game?

"We have to look at ourselves and understand that from now until the end every game is important, and also for United. We must pay great attention because in this run (for Champions League places) there are many great teams and someone has to stay out."

Reaction to improvement against Barcelona

"It was a different performance. After two bad defeats, we won before against West Brom and Hull and another good game against Barcelona. It can happen, you lose two games. I remember we lost these games different ways, against Bournemouth we created chances, but Watford was a really bad game for us. But this is in the past."

Barkley, Bakayoko, Luiz back?

"No, they are out. But all the [other] players are available. "

And here is Antonio...

Antonio Conte is expected any minute now, here is what we have on the agenda:

• Injury updates on Tiemoue Bakayoko, David Luiz and Ross Barkley
• Who will start up front, Alvaro Morata or Olivier Giroud?
• Will his war of words with Jose Mourinho return?

Conte has two specialist centre-forwards to lead his attack in Alvaro Morata and Olivier Giroud but turned to Eden Hazard to play as a false nine against Barcelona this week. Will the Belgian be asked to play a similar role this weekend? Ander Herrera did a superb job in marking him out of the game at Old Trafford last season but with the Spaniard likely to miss out through injury, he could have greater freedom to wreak havoc.

Tiemoue Bakayoko was sent off half an hour into Chelsea's harrowing 4-1 defeat to Watford earlier this month and hasn't been seen since. Antonio Conte confirmed last week the French midfielder had picked up a knock, one that ruled him out of Tuesday's draw with Barcelona.

An update on the former Monaco midfielder is expected shortly.

So how did Conte vs Mourinho kick off exactly? The tension between the two has been simmering ever since both returned to the Premier League in 2016 but in January this year, things escalated a tad.

Mourinho suggests Conte is "a clown"

When defending his own rather sombre behaviour on the touchline, Mourinho said: "Because I don't behave as a clown on the touchline, it means that I lost my passion," he said.

"I prefer to behave the way I am doing it, much more mature, better for my team and myself, I don't think you have to behave like a crazy guy on the touchline to have that passion."

Conte's response? The Chelsea boss suggested Mourinho might be suffering from "demenza senile", translating into senile dementia.

January 2018: Mourinho takes aim at Conte match fixing allegations

"What never happened to me - and will never happen - is to be suspended for match-fixing. That never happened to me and will never happen."

Conte's reponse? I think when there are these types of comments, comments where you try to offend the person and don't know the truth, then you are a little man," he said.

"In the past he was a little man in many circumstances, he's a little man in the present and for sure he will be a little man in the future. I consider him a little man and I consider him a man with a very low profile."

There's nothing like a row between managers to provide an extra layer of intrigue to a huge Premier League fixture. Despite the best efforts of one Italian journalist last week to spark it back into life, the feud between Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte has subsided significantly in recent weeks but with their two sides meeting this weekend, there's every chance of it all kicking off once again.

Conte will likely be probed on that war of words with the former Chelsea boss; whether he douses it in petrol once again remains to be seen. We will hear from the Chelsea boss very shortly.