Antonio Conte intends to keep up ecstatic celebrations

You can have all the data and historic information at your disposal to pore over ahead of Monday’s final FA Cup quarter-final but that does not make coming to a conclusion about Chelsea hosting Manchester United any easier.

Humiliating. That’s the word José Mourinho used to describe the result the last time he visited Stamford Bridge, back in October, when Antonio Conte’s Chelsea routed his Manchester United side four goals to nil.

United have used the memory of that painful loss to fuel a dominant period which has seen them lose just twice in all competitions since then.

The two most successful English teams of the past decade meet in this FA Cup showdown to finish out this year’s quarterfinal round.

The Blues host United in a mouthwatering FA Cup quarter-final on Monday, Mourinho hoping to avenge a 4-0 October defeat in the Premier League against his former club.

“I think I was stronger than him to score goals but, in the other aspects, there is no contest”. After all, the FA Cup represents a real chance to deliver tangible success.

The Red Devils have been handed a tough fixture at Stamford Bridge, where they lost 4-0 in the Premier League earlier this campaign. Chelsea has won seven times, Man United have won six times, and both teams have drawn six times.

Pressed on whether the Rostov trip will have any bearing on Monday’s match, Conte added: “I don’t know”.

Thursday night was turning into Friday morning when Mourinho’s players boarded their plane at Rostov’s small airport for the near 2,000-mile flight to Manchester. They are runaway Premier League leaders, leading Tottenham and Manchester City by 10 points, are 17 clear of United and have had the benefit of a longer run-in to this fixture while the Reds were travelling to Russian Federation and back for Europa League duty.

Chelsea dominated the last time these two teams met, and given their defensive form and Ibrahimovic’s absence, they are once again favourites to win this contest. “I know that we need to improve the squad for next season but this season we have a trophy in the box and we are going to fight for every match”.

But despite Mourinho’s protests, Conte has no intention of toning down the touchline theatrics that have become his trademark this season. “Manchester United has a name, has a prestige, something magic in football that attracts everyone, so I think it is normal (that he wants to be United manager)”.

Conte has steered clear of any mind games with Mourinho since and prefers to be focused on events on the pitch.