LONDON -- Antonio Conte has confirmed that Nathan Ake will make his first Chelsea start since returning from loan against Brentford and insisted that Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Nathaniel Chalobah will stay and fight for first-team minutes at Stamford Bridge for the rest of the season.
Ake was recalled from Bournemouth earlier this month after impressing Conte with his form over the festive period, and the Chelsea head coach is set to make significant changes to his starting XI for the FA Cup fourth-round tie ahead of key clashes against Premier League rivals Liverpool and Arsenal next week.
Neither Chalobah nor Loftus-Cheek have made a single Premier League start this season, but Conte is adamant that their development is best served by remaining at Chelsea, though fellow academy prospect Ola Aina is likely to sit out the Brentford match as the Blues weigh up whether to loan him out.
"The FA Cup is a good opportunity for us to see players who are not playing a lot," Conte said. "It happened in the last game in the FA Cup [against Peterborough United]. For sure, tomorrow, it's an opportunity for us -- for me -- to see many players who are not playing.
"But we want to win, we want to go into the next stage of the FA Cup. I will try to make the best decisions for our team tomorrow."
On the subject of Ake, he added: "He can play as a central defender or a wing-back. Tomorrow is a good opportunity for him to show me he's into my idea of football and to show his improvement."
Asked if any of Chelsea's academy prospects could leave on loan before Tuesday's transfer deadline, Conte replied: "Ruben and Chalobah, for sure, will continue to stay with us. For Ola, I think it could be a possibility to go on loan. But there are four days to see the development of this situation."
Conte also has decisions to make on the futures of Charly Musonda and Kenedy, who were recalled from failed loan spells at Real Betis and Watford respectively in December and have been training with the first team ever since.
An appearance for either against Brentford would rule out any possibility of another loan this season under FIFA transfer rules, and Conte insists he has not yet made up his mind on whether they will stay or go.
"If tomorrow Kenedy or Musonda play one second, they must stay with us for the rest of the season," he said. "The players know this, I know this, the club knows this. But I think they are two young players with good prospects.
"For sure, this level is a high level, but they have a good will to fight, to try and improve, and to work. If we take this decision to stay here, I think the players will be very happy, and the club and I the same."