Antonio Conte has warned Chelsea fans that the club may struggle to compete with the likes of Bayern Munich on their return to the Champions League this season.

The Blues are back in the competition after failing to qualify for it last term - the first time in the Roman Abramovich era - due to a dismal 2015-16 campaign.

Conte has signed only four players so far this window and is concerned whether the squad is strong enough to take on the European elite.

Chelsea were given an indication of the task that awaits them when Bayern beat them 3-2 in Singapore on Tuesday night without a number of their best players.

Conte said: "I am excited to play in the Champions League with Chelsea, but I know we have a lot of road ahead before we can compete to try to win the Champions League.

"We are trying to rebuild a situation and it’s not easy. You need a bit of time to create a structure and to build every season and then to go to fight.

"Against Bayern Munich, it is very clear, no? We played against a very strong team and don’t forget they had (David) Alaba and (Juan) Bernat on the bench.

"And seven players at home: (Arjen) Robben, (Joshua) Kimmich, (Arturo) Vidal, Thiago Alcantara, (Manuel) Neuer, (Jerome) Boateng and another strong player.

"This is the reality and it is always important to know the reality and then to try and work and try to improve.

"But the reality is this: Bayern Munich is ready to fight to win the Champions League. Because every season they stay there, and they try to improve the team.

"For them it is easier now because they have a good structure - you arrive at the end of the season and you sign one or two players to improve your team but you have 17/18 players for a good basis.

"Then you can pay £80million for one player or £90m for two players and your transfer market is finished.

"But when you must rebuild you need to buy players, but also to create the solid foundation and then to find one or two strong players to improve your quality in an important way."

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Conte claims that due to injuries, sales and the likely departure of Nemanja Matic and Diego Costa, he is struggling for numbers.

The 47-year-old remembers seeing Chelsea win the European Cup in 2012, which caused a surprise at the time even though they had players like Petr Cech, John Terry (suspended for the final), Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole and Didier Drogba.

But he suggests it will be difficult to repeat the shock in 2017-18, with all those club legends now gone.

He added: "I remember 2012. Chelsea won with the penalties. They lost a Champions League with the penalties(2008) and they won a Champions League with the penalties.

"I think now we are in another era, another period for Chelsea. We must have patience and try to rebuild something important.

"We started this season with only 11 players and now we bought (Tiemoue) Bakayoko, (Antonio) Rudiger, (Alvaro) Morata and (Willy) Caballero.

"But we lost maybe, if you compare the last season, many players and we have to rebuild the situation. We must know that we have to work very hard to rebuild the situation."

But Conte is still determined to improve on his record in the competition, where the furthest he got in two attempts with Juventus was the quarter-finals.

"I have only two experiences as a coach in the Champions League with Juventus," he stated.

"After the first season, when we won an incredible title and Juventus started to build a good strong team for the Champions League with me, we arrived in the Quarter Finals to play Bayern Munich who went on to win the Champions League.

"In the next season we were out in the group stage, (they lost 1-0 v Galatasaray) in Istanbul, in the snow, incredible. But when you arrive to play for qualification in the last game, it’s your fault."