Manchester United vs. Chelsea: Antonio Conte's Key Pre-Match Presser Quotes

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has said there is a "sporting conflict" between himself and Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho ahead of their meeting on Sunday in the Premier League.

The Blues will head to Old Trafford with potentially just a four-point advantage on Tottenham Hotspur, who face Bournemouth in Saturday's lunchtime kick-off, at the top of the table. Chelsea have beaten United twice already this season in two spiky affairs in the Premier League and FA Cup.

At the end of the first game, the two bosses clashed, and Conte conceded there may be some needle there, although he insisted it's natural, per Nizaar Kinsella of Goal:

Indeed, when the Blues beat United 4-0 in the Premier League, Mourinho was unhappy with Conte for geeing up the Chelsea supporters, suggesting the Italian was seeking to humiliate him.

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When the two sides met in the FA Cup earlier in the campaign, the United boss also expressed his displeasure at the reaction towards him from some sections of the Chelsea crowd. It prompted Mourinho to suggest that "Judas is No. 1" having won the Premier League three times with the club.

Per Liam Twomey of ESPN FC, the Chelsea manager had no problem with Mourinho's comments after their previous meeting:

In the last outing, Chelsea forward Eden Hazard was also on the end of some rough treatment from the United players, particularly in the early stages of the match. Conte was angry about the antics and said after the match "it's not football for me."

Despite this, the Chelsea boss was adamant the team will not be preparing for anything similar on Sunday:

With Hazard and N'Golo Kante nominated for the PFA Player of the Year gong, Conte was also quizzed about the merits of his two star men. However, he wouldn't offer up an opinion on who he feels should win the award despite being pressed pretty hard:

As ever, Conte seemed keen to talk about football and especially about the significance of Sunday's match.

Tottenham have done superbly to apply the pressure to Chelsea in recent weeks and at the moment they are the form side in the country. But with a seven-point advantage intact, the Blues are still big favourites.

Subsequently, the Italian was keen to express how much of a big game this one is for his team:

One player Conte discussed in detail was United's veteran forward Ibrahimovic, who has been in splendid form in his debut season in the English game.

The 35-year-old fired home his 17th goal of the campaign when United beat Sunderland 3-0 last weekend. Conte suggested comparisons the striker made between himself and Benjamin Button—a character who aged in reverse—are accurate:

It'll be the first time since his arrival in English football that Conte has taken his Chelsea team to Old Trafford, although the former Juventus player and coach has visited the Theatre of Dreams before.

The Blues chief detailed how one of the finest moments of his career occurred at this iconic football stadium, when United and Juventus went head-to-head in the UEFA Champions League semi-final in 1999:

If Chelsea can win here, it's a moment that may well top that strike in 1999 for Conte. After all, few hurdles stand between them and the Premier League title, with this opponent arguably the most difficult of the teams remaining. Come through this one and the title will almost certainly be theirs.

United did play on Thursday in the UEFA Europa League, and arguably that will be their focus between now and the end of the season. But as Conte alluded to, the Red Devils are a dangerous team on their day and they have the potential to make this a nervy end to the campaign for the Blues.