Valverde wary of Morata threat for Chelsea

Soccer Football - Premier League - Chelsea vs Newcastle United - Stamford Bridge, London, Britain - December 2, 2017 Chelsea’s Alvaro Morata celebrates scoring their second goal REUTERS/David Klein

MADRID (Reuters) - Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde pinpointed former Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata as one of the main threats Chelsea pose to his side in the Champions League last 16.

The Catalan side have been pitted against the team they lost to in the 2011-2012 semi-finals, with Chelsea going on to win the tournament for the first and only time.

Valverde, whose side have won five European Cups, acknowledged the difficulty of facing the English champions.

Soccer Football - Champions League - FC Barcelona Training - Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper, Barcelona, Spain - December 4, 2017 Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde during training REUTERS/Sergio Perez

"It's a tough draw for us because of the magnitude of the opposition," he said. "Chelsea are champions of the Premier League but we're excited about the tie, even though it will be difficult.

"Chelsea are a strong and physical team, with a clear tactical system in place. They take advantage of the physical nature of the Premier League well.

"With the signing of Morata they've added pace in attack, while (Eden) Hazard is very good between the lines."

(Reporting by Rik Sharma, editing by Ed Osmond)