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Antonio Conte, John Terry motivated by Saturday’s earlier FA Cup upsets

By George Perry

WOLVERHAMPTON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 18: Antonio Conte head coach / manager of Chelsea arrives at Molineux Stadium, prior to the The Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea at Molineux on February 18, 2017 in Wolverhampton, England. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Imagess)
WOLVERHAMPTON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 18: Antonio Conte head coach / manager of Chelsea arrives at Molineux Stadium, prior to the The Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea at Molineux on February 18, 2017 in Wolverhampton, England. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Imagess) /
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Burnley and Leicester City exited the FA Cup before Chelsea’s kick-off on Saturday. Antonio Conte and John Terry were determined that Chelsea would not join them as FA “cup-set” victims.

Antonio Conte and John Terry arrived at Molineux Stadium knowing that non-league Lincoln City had eliminated Burnley and Millwall had knocked out the crumbling Leicester City. Wolves already had two wins over Premier League sides in the FA Cup, including Liverpool in the fourth-round.

“It was kind of a wake-up call that we didn’t need,” Terry said about Lincoln City’s win. Terry had personal motivation for Chelsea to win, beyond the desire for a fifth FA Cup. If Chelsea were to lose, Terry would likely not see any more playing time in Blue other than a possible farewell run-out at the end of the season.

For Antonio Conte, his first FA Cup is showing him the unique perils of the competition. His team struggled to draw against Burnley. One week later Lincoln City vanquished the Clarets, and Conte understood that no club is safe in the FA Cup.

"But we all knew it would be [a tough game], above all after the results this afternoon. I tried to warn the changing room about the difficulty of this game, and of this completion. I like to repeat that in England in every game in every competition there does not exist an easy game It is the truth. – Chelsea FC"

Many of the players in Chelsea’s squad against Wolves were part of the team that lost to Bradford City in the fourth-round two seasons ago. The League Two side defeated the eventual Premier League champions, in what was then one of the biggest upsets of reason years.

Lincoln City’s victory is far more dramatic. They are the first non-League team through to the quarter-finals in over 100 years. With Sutton United in action Sunday against Arsenal, there remains the distant prospect of two non-League teams in the quarter-finals along with Chelsea.

Next: Chelsea's win overstates individual performances: Player ratings vs Wolves

Antonio Conte’s starting XI against Wolves was a sharp contrast to the young, inexperienced squads other Premier League clubs have used. He is approaching every FA Cup game with the intensity of someone determined to win the competition.

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