It sounds salty, but he makes a fair point
Liverpool play Chelsea on Sunday afternoon, and Antonio Conte has wasted no time in trying to antagonise his opponents by asserting that Liverpool have been lucky to get to the Champions League final.
The Chelsea boss said: “In the league, you have 38 games to show you deserve to win the league, to show you are the best during the season.
“In the Champions League, when you reach the last 16 or quarter-finals or semi-finals, one situation – positive or negative – can change your future in this competition.
“For this reason, I think that to win the Champions League you must be more lucky. You must be good to deserve it, but at the same time you must be lucky.”
Liverpool have been hugely impressive in the Champions League, having blown away Manchester City over two legs and also destroying Roma at Anfield, before holding on to reach the final. However, as in every cup competition, luck of the draw plays its part and while it’s not their fault, they have been quite fortunate not to come up against any of Europe’s elite – bar City – thus far.
Tottenham, for example, faced Juventus in the round of 16 having topped a group that included Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid.
Chelsea fans will know better than anyone that occasionally, with a bit of luck, anyone can win the Champions League, as they showed in 2012, as they beat Bayern Munich in the final with a team that featured José Bosingwa, Ryan Bertrand and Salomon Kalou.
Luck plays its part, but nobody will be able to say Liverpool do not deserve it if they beat Real Madrid in Kyiv and bring a sixth Champions League trophy back to Anfield.
