Champions League news: troubled Napoli staring at exit against Chelsea

"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."

"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. But it's part of the game, you have to accept it, you have to turn up as often as you can for the ones that are ready and prepared to play. Tomorrow night the absolute maximum of our level of performance is going to be required."

"Conte has lost the first-choice goalkeeper, Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, to a hamstring injury while the winger David Neres flew to London for ankle surgery on Monday which will likely keep him out until April. Kevin De Bruyne has been out since October and won't be back until the spring after surgery on his right hamstring, while another key midfielder in Frank Anguissa was supposed to be back on Sunday from another hamstring injury but was left out due to back problems."

Napoli sit inside the Champions League elimination zone with eight points from seven matches and must beat Chelsea to qualify for the playoffs. A deep injury crisis has sidelined multiple key players, including the first-choice goalkeeper and several midfielders and wingers, disrupting squad rhythm and availability. Napoli also lost 3-0 at Juventus, leaving them nine points behind Serie A leaders Inter and damaging their title defence. Chelsea need a win to secure a top-eight finish and direct last-16 qualification. Players and staff emphasise the difficulty of managing persistent injuries and the demand for maximum performance.

Read at www.theguardian.com