Napoli have to beat Chelsea in the Champions League on Wednesday night, while Liam Rosenior’s side could also do with a win.
Right now, Napoli sit 25th in the Champions League table, which is one place below the play-off spots.
As for Chelsea, they sit in the top eight, but there is no guarantee that the Blues will finish there even if they manage to win.
DISCUSS: Garnacho been the underrated STAR of Liam Rosenior’s Chelsea spell so far… ⭐
Brace against Arsenal, superb against Pafos.
It is a huge fixture for both sides, and Napoli head into it without two key players.
David Neres and Vanja Milinkovic-Savic will miss Chelsea game
David Neres and Vanja Milinkovic-Savic have been important members of Antonio Conte’s first-team squad this season.
Neres has made 16 appearances in Serie A and registered six goal contributions. Milinkovic-Savic, meanwhile, is Napoli’s first-choice goalkeeper.
Unfortunately for Conte, though, neither will be available for Wednesday’s game at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.
On Monday, Napoli’s official club website confirmed that Neres has had surgery on his ankle, while Milinkovic-Savic is recovering from a muscle injury.
It is a double blow for Conte, but the Italian will at least have Romelu Lukaku, who returned from his own injury last weekend.
Lukaku does not have the best record against Chelsea, but he is still one of Europe’s top strikers. The Belgium international helped Napoli to win the Serie A title last season after scoring 14 goals and providing 10 assists in 36 games.
How do you stop a centre-forward like Romelu Lukaku? 🛑
He should be fit for Napoli vs Chelsea
Chelsea’s absentees for trip to Naples
Chelsea also have their own injury problems heading into their final league phase game in the Champions League.
Levi Colwill, Romeo Lavia and Dario Essugo will all miss the Napoli match, while it is also very likely that Tosin Adarabioyo will have to stay at home.
On a more positive note, Filip Jorgensen and Cole Palmer should be back after missing the win over Crystal Palace.
Palmer is being linked to Manchester United, but Chelsea are thought to view the attacking midfielder as untouchable.
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