Liverpool vs. Chelsea: Antonio Conte's Key Pre-Match Press Conference Quotes

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte believes his team can deal Liverpool a big mental blow by beating them at Anfield on Tuesday. 

The Italian insisted, though, that the result on Merseyside will not decide the season for either side and warned that the Reds will be "like a wounded animal" after recent poor form.

Liverpool are on a three-game losing run—all at home—and are now in fourth place in the Premier League standings.

Chelsea, meanwhile, are eight points clear at the top of the table, and Conte is aware that a victory over the Reds on Tuesday would be a huge result, per the Blues' Twitter feed:

He added that the Anfield atmosphere could play a big role in the game, per Jacob Murtagh in the Mirror:

"

Yes, [Liverpool are like a wounded animal]. Their focus will be very high. We'll have great difficulty because when you arrive after three defeats you are very angry and we must know this. 

I'm sure that Liverpool is one of the teams that can fight to the end to win the title. They have a good coach, really good players. The crowd pushes them a lot and we must pay attention to this atmosphere because it will help them, but we have to play our football.

"

The Stamford Bridge meeting between Liverpool and Chelsea in the Premier League in September ended in a 2-1 victory for Jurgen Klopp's side, and the Blues then went on to lose to Arsenal in their next game.

Since those back-to-back defeats, Conte's side have won 14 of their last 15 Premier League games, and they face Liverpool and Arsenal again in the space of four days.

If Chelsea claim victories from both matches, they will likely become almost unstoppable in the title race, and it will indicate just how much they have improved since a tricky start to the season.

Conte acknowledged the high-profile nature of both Tuesday's match and the home game against Arsenal on Saturday, but he was quick to temper any hyperbole, per ESPN FC's Liam Twomey:

He also addressed the situation surrounding Branislav Ivanovic, whose move to Zenit Saint Petersburg is imminent, per Simon Johnson in the Evening Standard.

Conte said he will respect whatever decision the Serb makes, per Twomey:

Per ESPN FC's Ben Dinnery, Conte also should have all his players fully fit for the visit to Liverpool:

Liverpool could revive their dwindling title hopes and arrest their slide out of the top four if they beat Chelsea on Tuesday, so they will be motivated for the game.

However, given the form of both sides, the momentum is clearly with Chelsea, and their confidence will be high as they head to Anfield.