Napoli are on the brink of being eliminated from the Champions League as the troubled Italian club face Chelsea, racked by a deep injury crisis
Napoli are on the brink of being eliminated from the Champions League as the troubled Italian club face Chelsea on Wednesday, racked by a deep injury crisis and a faltering Serie A title defence. Sat just inside the elimination zone on only eight points from seven matches after last week’s miserable 1-1 draw at Copenhagen, Napoli must beat Chelsea to scrape a place in next month’s playoffs.
That will be no easy task with Chelsea, Antonio Conte’s former club, needing a win to stay in the top eight and bag direct qualification for the last 16. And Napoli come into the game still stinging from a 3-0 defeat at Juventus which left the Italian champions nine points behind the current Serie A leaders, Inter.
Sunday’s loss in Turin was a slap in the face for Napoli and Juve icon Conte, who was full of praise for his players who have had to dig deep in the face of a host of injuries. “For us [injuries are] something that we have to accept, it’s a difficult situation which is not easy to manage,” said Scott McTominay. “It’s difficult for the staff and the players to continue with that rhythm.
