Injured and struggling Napoli must beat Chelsea to avoid Champions League elimination, with manager Antonio Conte lamenting an unending injury crisis.
NAPOLI are staring at Champions League elimination as they host Chelsea on Wednesday, crippled by injuries and a faltering Serie A title defence.
The Italian champions sit in the elimination zone with just eight points from seven matches.
They must beat Chelsea to have any chance of reaching next month’s play-offs.
Chelsea also need a victory to secure direct qualification for the last 16, setting up a tense showdown at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
Napoli’s preparations were further damaged by a 3-0 defeat at Juventus on Sunday.
That loss left them nine points behind Serie A leaders Inter Milan.
Manager Antonio Conte, a former Chelsea boss, is grappling with a severe injury crisis that has plagued his squad all season.
“I challenge anyone to find me a team which has had all of these problems,” Conte told reporters.
The issues began in pre-season when striker Romelu Lukaku suffered a hamstring injury.
He only returned to action in the final minutes of the Juventus defeat.
Key winger David Neres flew to London for ankle surgery on Monday and is likely out until April.
Midfielder Kevin De Bruyne has been absent since October after hamstring surgery.
Goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic is out with a hamstring knock, while midfielder Andre-Frank Anguissa missed the Juventus game with back problems.
“The emergency hasn’t finished, in fact it’s got worse,” Conte said.
The manager praised his available players for their resilience.
“The boys are doing something incredible which is going unnoticed,” he stated.
Midfielder Scott McTominay acknowledged the challenge.
“Tomorrow night the absolute maximum of our level of performance is going to be required,” he said.
A rare positive is Lukaku’s return to the European squad, replacing the injured De Bruyne.
The Belgian striker has a point to prove against his former club, where he endured a difficult spell.
Last season, 11 points was enough to avoid the drop.
A win would almost certainly see Napoli through and offer relief to their beleaguered squad.
