Napoli vs Chelsea Prediction & Betting Tips (28 January)

Arriving with the status of Italian champion, Napoli had legitimate ambitions in this Champions League. Unfortunately, Antonio Conte's men generally disappointed. Today they occupy 25th place in the ranking with the same number of points as 24th, the last qualified for the play-offs. It is therefore essential to obtain a result this Wednesday evening. Having struggled away from home since the start of the campaign with 1 draw and 3 defeats, Scott McTominay's teammates have not lost at home. Held to a draw by Frankfurt 0-0, they otherwise won against Sporting 2-1 and Qarabag 2-0. Napoli is currently 3rd in Serie A and concedes 6 spending units on the leader. Winner of the Italian Super Cup at the end of December, Napoli then lined up six games without a loss in the league, 3 wins and 3 draws, before traveling to Juventus this coming weekend.

8th in this Champions League with the same number of points as 9th, Chelsea will have to respond this Wednesday to reach the round of 16 directly. The Blues remained uncompromising in their den with successes against Benfica 1-0, Ajax 5-1, Barcelona 3-0 and Pafos last week 1-0. Less sovereign on the road, they had to settle for a point at Qarabag 2-2 and lost on the lawns of Bayern Munich 3-1 and Atalanta 2-1. On the domestic scene, Chelsea displayed some irregularity, which led to the dismissal of coach Enzo Maresca at the end of December. Under Liam Rosenior, Chelsea responded by beating Brentford 2-0 before traveling to Crystal Palace this coming weekend. Chelsea are now 6th in the Premier League and are only 2 points behind 4th place, qualifying for the next Champions League. 

For this meeting, the Napoli coach still cannot count on senior defender Rrahmani, important midfielders Anguissa and De Bruyne as well as potentially starting winger Politano. We also find goalkeeper No. 2 Meret and replacement midfielder Gilmour in the infirmary. Finally, Brazilian winger David Neres is not guaranteed to be able to apply. Against Copenhagen, it was the essential Scottish midfielder McTominay (5 goals and 3 assists in SA, 4 goals in C1) who found the net on a pass from Macedonian winger Elmas. On the attacking front, we should find the Danish international Hojlund (6 goals and 2 assists in SA, 2 goals in C1), who has not yet scored in 2026. On the Chelsea side, missing is the important defender who has been absent for a long time Colwill, the sparingly used defender Adarabioyo and the replacement midfielder Lavia, insufficiently recovered from their physical problems.

Furthermore, Ukrainian winger Mudryk is still suspended while the unwanted Sterling is not qualified for the Champions League. In the midfield, we should find the captains Caicedo (3 goals in PL, 2 goals in C1) and Fernandez (6 goals and 2 assists in PL, 1 goal and 1 assist in C1). Replacing against Pafos, striker Joao Pedro (7 goals and 3 assists in PL, 1 goal in C1) could start this time and relegate Delap to the bench (1 goal in PL, 1 goal in C1). The wings were occupied by Pedro Neto (5 goals and 3 assists in PL, 1 assist in C1) and Garnacho (1 goal and 3 assists in PL, 1 goal and 1 assist in C1) while the Brazilian prodigy Estevao (1 goal in PL, 3 goals in C1) came into play. In the defensive sector, we could still find the French Malo Gusto, Fofana and Badiashile.