Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has hailed the impact of Alvaro Morata after his hat-trick in victory at Stoke City.

Morata is now preparing for his return to Spain for their Champions League clash at Atletico Madrid.

Courtois said: "We know Alvaro is a top striker, we know he has ability and I am very happy for him that he scored a hat-trick. It's good for him and all of the team, Stoke away is a very hard game.

"Last year we won here in the last minute, Arsenal lost here this season, Manchester United struggled here too. So to score four goals, we must be pleased.

"But it's not just his hat-trick against Stoke, he has been scoring from the beginning. He is feeling good, strikers always do when they're scoring. He has scored a few important ones for us already."

But Courtois expects Morata to face a hostile reception from the Atletico fans, given he used to play for their fierce city rivals.

"He will get a different reception to me!" Courtois said. "Alvaro played a lot of games against Atletico, but for him it will be a big game against his rival of all time."