Preview: Napoli vs. Chelsea - prediction, team news, lineups

A few old friends become foes at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Wednesday, as Napoli host Chelsea in a must-win match for both sides on the final matchday of the league phase of the Champions League.

Antonio Conte faces his former club knowing full well that his 25th-placed team need maximum points to avoid elimination from the competition, while the Blues realistically need to defeat the Partenopei to finish inside the coveted top eight.

Match preview

A disappointing week went from bad to worse as Conte’s defending champions were crushed 3-0 by Juventus at Allianz Stadium, seeing them slip nine points behind league-leading Inter Milan in Serie A.

The defeat in Turin followed last week’s dismal draw with 10-man Copenhagen in the penultimate matchday of the league phase, with the Partenopei unable to take advantage of their Danish hosts having Thomas Delaney dismissed after 35 minutes.

While Scott McTominay opened the scoring before the break, Jordan Larsson levelled for Copenhagen in Parken to leave the Italian giants 25th in the 36-team league phase.

Although they sit outside the top 24 on goal difference, with five clubs on eight points, maximum points in Naples would enhance the Serie A club’s chances of advancing to the knockout phase playoffs.

That outcome is conceivable, considering that the Azzurri have accrued seven points from a possible nine at the Maradona during the league phase, while they have secured eight victories from 11 matches in Europe against English teams, losing only twice in those games.

One of their eight triumphs came against Wednesday’s visitors in the 2011-12 season, when a 3-1 victory in Naples put the Partenopei in an advantageous position in the last 16, only for the Blues to advance after a 4-1 success at Stamford Bridge.

The West Londoners return to the Maradona 14 years after a disappointing performance under then-boss Andre Villas-Boas left them on the brink of exiting the competition, which they would go on to win after the Portuguese’s dismissal and Roberto Di Matteo’s masterminding of a change in fortunes.

Much has changed at both clubs since, with none of the players in this Chelsea iteration at the club during that historic run to a maiden Champions League crown.

In fact, not even Conte — head coach at Chelsea from 2016 to 2018 — may recognise many of the faces in the away end, given the magnitude of change that has taken place in West London since he departed the club about eight years ago.

Regardless of the circumstances, the Blues are unlikely to be in a generous mood on Wednesday, as they are determined to secure automatic qualification for the first knockout round and avoid a dreaded playoff tie for a place in the last 16.

The London-based giants enter the midweek clash fresh from their finest performance under Liam Rosenior, defeating beleaguered Crystal Palace 3-1 at Selhurst Park to extend their unbeaten run against the Eagles to 18 matches, having drawn the previous three before Sunday.

That Premier League win extended Chelsea’s winning run to three across all competitions — and four in five games since Enzo Maresca’s departure — and the visitors now bid to secure four victories in succession for the first time since September-October last year, when Champions League wins over Benfica and Ajax sandwiched league victories against Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.

However, the Blues must overcome a poor record in visits to Italy in European competition, having won just two of 13 such matches and losing eight.

With six of their last seven trips ending in defeat, including December’s 2-1 loss to Atalanta, Rosenior’s men face an uphill challenge against a team that are unbeaten at the Maradona since December 2024.

Doubly concerning is the Blues’ failure to win away from home in the competition since beating RB Salzburg 2-1 in October 2022, an unwanted sequence that stands at five: they have been defeated by Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Atalanta, while drawing at Qarabag FK.

Given that eight clubs have 13 points, Chelsea — who could still end as high as third in the table, with third-placed Real on 15 points — could also easily finish as one of the unseeded teams in the knockout playoffs if they slip to another defeat and results elsewhere are unfavourable.

While the jeopardy for Napoli pales in comparison to Chelsea’s, both teams’ need for maximum points is undoubtedly imperative heading into Wednesday’s significant meeting at the Maradona.

Napoli Champions League form:

Napoli form (all competitions):

Chelsea Champions League form:

Chelsea form (all competitions):

Team News

While Romelu Lukaku returned at the weekend after missing out since August, the forward is not expected to start against his former club, meaning Rasmus Hojlund should lead the line from the off.

Alex Meret is likely to play his first Champions League game since March 2024 due to Vanja Milinkovic-Savic’s possible absence because of a muscle injury.

Kevin De Bruyne and Frank Anguissa head the club’s lengthy list of injured players, which includes Billy Gilmour (groin), Matteo Politano (muscle), David Neres (ankle) and Amir Rrahmani (muscle).

Also absent is winter signing Giovane, recently recruited from Hellas Verona, due to the Brazilian’s eligibility status.

With McTominay scoring four of Napoli’s seven Champions League goals — Hojlund has netted two — the Scotland international is the home team’s leading threat to Chelsea’s prospects on Wednesday.

While Joao Pedro has scored eight Premier League goals, the Brazilian has netted only one in Europe, where Estevao Willian (three goals) and Moises Caicedo (two) are the Blues’ leading scorers.

Cole Palmer’s involvement is uncertain after he missed Chelsea’s 3-1 win at Palace with a thigh problem, and with Rosenior insisting that no player below full fitness will be risked, the playmaker is likely to start on the bench at best.

While Romeo Lavia has not yet returned to team training as he continues his rehabilitation, and Filip Jorgensen’s issue is still being assessed, Levi Colwill (knee), Tosin Adarabioyo (hamstring) and Dario Essugo are definitely unavailable.

Having starred in midfield against Palace, it will be interesting to see if Rosenior retains Andrey Santos in the side’s midfield, a decision that could have ramifications for Reece James.

The Chelsea captain’s minutes have to be managed, and it remains to be seen if he features from the off after playing 81 minutes at Selhurst Park.

Napoli possible starting lineup:

Meret; Di Lorenzo, Jesus, Buongiorno; Spinazzola, Lobotka, McTominay, Gutierrez; Vergara, Elmas; Hojlund

Chelsea possible starting lineup:

Sanchez; Gusto, Fofana, Badiashile, Cucurella; James, Caicedo; Pedro Neto, Fernandez, Garnacho; Joao Pedro

We say: Napoli 2-1 Chelsea

Chelsea's last 55 European matches have not ended in a goalless draw, and with both teams needing a decisive result, a bland outcome is unimaginable.

However, it is hard to overlook the London club's past struggles in Italy and to disregard Napoli's impressive short and long-term performance at the Maradona.

Consequently, the intimidating atmosphere in Naples and McTominay's match-winning qualities could be the key difference between the two sides.

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