Antonio Conte has declared that he is “ready to give everything” to help his Tottenham Hotspur side beat Chelsea FC in the League Cup semi-finals.
Spurs booked their spot in the last four of the cup competition with a 2-1 home win over London rivals West Ham United on Wednesday night, with Lucas Moura netting the eventual winner in the 34th minute.
Meanwhile, Chelsea FC sealed their own spot in the semis with a 2-0 victory over Brentford, with Thomas Tuchel’s side having scored their two goals late on to secure their progress into the last four.
Chelsea FC were then pitted against their London neighbours Tottenham in the resulting draw after the games, with Arsenal taking on Liverpool FC in the other semi-final.
It will be the first time that Conte has faced his former side Chelsea FC as Spurs boss and the Italian has insisted that he is looking forward to it.
Speaking after Wednesday’s win over the Hammers, Conte said: “For sure, it will be nice, good to play against Chelsea for me.
“I spent two amazing seasons with Chelsea and I enjoyed a lot, everything there. But now I am the manager of Tottenham and I am ready to give everything for this club.”
He added: “I think it’s good for Tottenham to reach the semi-final of this competition. You can see the names of the teams who have reached the semi-final – Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and us – it means every club wants to try to lift this trophy.”
Meanwhile, Chelsea FC boss Tuchel admitted that his side are set for a stern test against their London neighbours in the last four.
“It was clear it was going to be a tough draw because there are four strong teams,” Tuchel said after his side’s win over Brentford. “Tottenham is nice for our fans, a London derby but very difficult.
“We did everything to be in the semi-final. We deserve it so we’re looking forward to it.”
The semi-finals will be played over two legs, with the first games taking place in the week commencing 3 January, and the return legs scheduled for the week of 10 January. The final will take place at Wembley on 27 February.