The Belgium international made his first appearance of the season as a substitute in Saturday’s 2-1 away win over Leicester.
And Conte is clearly in no mood to rush him back from the ankle injury which ruled him out all summer and for the first three matches of the new campaign.
Speaking ahead of Tuesday night's clash against Qarabag, the Chelsea gaffer said: "He is in the group, in the squad and is working well to find the best physical condition.
"He needs a bit of time to continue to improve and we must not take a stupid risk with him. He will come on to the bench."
Conte also hailed the winger, who played a vital role in Chelsea's Premier League title success last term.
He added: "He is an amazing player, we are looking forward to having him on our squad.
"He is an important player for us, we are forced to play without him through injury. We tried to win every game."
Chelsea return to Champions League action having endured a one-year absence following a 10th-place league finish in 2016.
Alongside Azerbaijani outfit Qarabag, they’ll face Atletico Madrid and Roma in this year's group stage.
Chelsea travel to Atletico, who wanted to sign Diego Costa this summer, on Wednesday September 27.
