- Chelsea have been drawn against Barcelona in the Champions League last 16
- Antonio Conte says the club’s history with Barcelona has no bearing on their tie
- The Catalan club took to Twitter to poke fun at Chelsea over past meetings
- Conte insists making the top four in the Premier League remains the top priority
Antonio Conte has ordered his players to forget about Chelsea’s fiery history with Barcelona after drawing Lionel Messi and Co in the Champions League last 16.
The two clubs have been involved in some epic European battles in recent years and are on another collision course following Monday’s draw.
The Catalan club were quick to take to Twitter to make fun of Chelsea over a previous win at Stamford Bridge.
Antonio Conte orders Chelsea to forget about their bitter history with rivals Barcelona
The La Liga side posted: ‘We’ve had some great times at Stamford Bridge, haven’t we Iniesta’.
The tongue in cheek comment makes reference to their 2008-09 semi-final clash where Andres Iniesta struck late-on to send Barcelona through.
But Conte insists what has gone before will have no impact on the forthcoming tie, calling on his players to write their own history.
Following the draw, Conte said: ‘Those games are in the past, the present is another story.
‘It is totally different. This type of game is a good chance for every player to show the right value, for sure every player has to play in the right way.
‘It’s a draw and our reaction must be positive. As I know very well you must be ready to face everything and in this case you must ready to face Barcelona.
‘But our priority must be the league and try to stay up and fight for a Champions League place.
The last meeting took place in the 2012 semi-final, where Fernando Torres scored late on
Conte wants his side to focus on the Premier League before the Champions League tie
He added: ‘That must be our priority and when it will be the moment and play Barcelona then we will think about that game.
‘We have to be very realistic that this league is very dangerous. We have to go game by game and play every game with 120 percent of our strength or we risk to have a bad surprise at the end of the season.’