Antonio Conte has confirmed David Luiz will start for Chelsea in Friday’s Premier League encounter with Liverpool and is confident the Brazil international will be ready.
The centre-back re-joined Chelsea from Paris Saint-Germain in the closing hours of the transfer window, but Conte was quick to stress he would need time to adapt to his new surroundings and benched the 29-year-old for the 2-2
draw with Swansea.
Luiz will feature from the start against Liverpool, though, with John Terry unavailable due to an ankle injury.
“Tomorrow David Luiz will play for the first time with us,” Conte said at a media conference.
“We are confident. We expect him to play well. We know he is a good player. We are working to get him in the best condition to get the best out of him.
“I said he needs time because that is the truth. It is normal that a new player needs time to adapt to your idea of football. But we need him against Liverpool.
“He has worked hard these days. I am confident he will do well.”
Marcos Alonso also still awaits his Chelsea debut following his move from Fiorentina, but Conte stressed the Spaniard is ready to make his bow if needed.
“Alonso is also a good player and I am pleased with him. He is showing good things on the training pitch. I think he is ready to play,” Conte added.
“He can play tomorrow if necessary. After the match against Liverpool, we have another tough game against Leicester and that could be another good opportunity for him.”
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