LONDON -- Antonio Conte has confirmed that David Luiz is still playing through knee pain stretching back to Sergio Aguero's red card tackle but says the defender is a "warrior" and he has no concerns about his fitness to face Burnley.
Luiz has frequently played with heavy strapping on his right knee since being caught by Aguero in the closing stages of Chelsea's 3-1 win over Manchester City in early December, and admitted after scoring a spectacular free kick against Liverpool that it has limited his ability to practice set pieces in training.
Conte says Luiz is still feeling discomfort but insists he expects the defender to be available for the trip to Turf Moor on Sunday.
"Yeh, he's available," Conte said of Luiz. "His fitness is good. For sure he's playing with a little pain in his knee, but he's a warrior and he's playing very well. I'm pleased for him and I hope to continue this way. He's showing me great attitude, great will to continue to fight despite sometimes a bit of pain."
Eden Hazard was also left in pain after taking a kick on the ankle from Francis Coquelin in the process of scoring his sensational solo goal in Chelsea's 3-1 win over Arsenal on Saturday, but Conte says he only substituted the Belgian in the closing stages to pay tribute to his outstanding performance.
"When I make a substitution there is always a reason," Conte added. "In the last game [against Arsenal] I wanted for sure to give him a great applause from our fans, because I think he deserved this for the game that he played -- not only with the ball but without the ball."
Asked what Hazard is worth on current form, Conte replied: "I'm not very good at putting a price on players. I think Eden for sure is a top player, a great player at a very high level. I don't see the problem because we don't want to sell him. He hasn't got a price now."
Chelsea have won 16 of 18 Premier League matches since Conte switched the team to a 3-4-3 formation in September, but the Italian says there will be no room for complacency against a Burnley team that boasts a formidable record at Turf Moor this season.
"For sure it will be a really tough game," Conte said. "I paid great attention to the stats, and Burnley took 28 points at home and only one point away. They won their last five games [at home], they score a lot at the end of the game.
"We must pay great attention because the stats show that Burnley is a really strong team at home. They are third in the table for [points taken] at home. First is Chelsea with 33, second is Tottenham with 32, and Burnley is third with 28.
"They are a really good team who fight a lot, they play a lot of long balls and second balls, they put a lot of pressure when you have the ball. It's important to know the strengths and weaknesses of the team that you go to face. We are studying Burnley very well and preparing for this game very well."