Napoli take on the visitors Chelsea in the round 8 match of UEFA Europa League – League Phase. The match will be played on Wednesday, January 28th at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona (Naples).
Napoli rather unexpectedly reclaimed the Scudetto under Spalletti after a long, almost two-decade wait. However, there was a reason why Luciano left immediately after that success, as the following season without him turned into a failure. In the summer of 2024, Conte arrived and quickly won the title race against Inter, later adding the Super Cup as well. Still, things have not been smooth overall, and in Serie A it is far from guaranteed that Napoli will stay in the top four. In the Champions League, their form has been even more troubling, as they lost all three away matches in 2025, including a heavy 2–6 defeat to PSV. At home, wins over Sporting and Qarabag were offset by a scoreless game against Eintracht, and last Tuesday in Copenhagen they managed only a 1–1 draw despite gaining a numerical advantage early. Recent results show that Napoli are competitive but inconsistent. Home performances look more reliable, yet away struggles continue to hurt their overall balance.
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Chelsea are almost starting from scratch again. After several disappointing years, the Blues appointed Maresca ahead of the 2024 season. His first year was remarkably effective, with a fourth-place finish in the Premier League, a Conference League triumph and victory at the Club World Cup. Even so, true stability was never fully achieved, and tensions with the board kept growing. As another slump followed, his departure was agreed by mutual consent around the New Year. By that point, Chelsea had collected ten points in the Champions League, winning three matches, including an emphatic 3–0 victory over Barcelona, but also losing to Bayern and Atalanta and drawing 2–2 with Qarabag. Under the new coach, they managed to edge past debutants Pafos late on to secure a win. The team still looks dangerous in big matches but lacks consistency from game to game. Much will depend on how quickly they adapt to the new direction.
The clubs met in the playoffs in 2012. Back then, the Blues lost 1–3 in Naples but then produced a convincing home win to turn the tie around. Confidence in the Italian side is limited, but they are playing at home and have enough motivation. The pick is Napoli not to lose.
Prediction for the match: Napoli not to lose (1X).
