Napoli's tired legs against Chelsea's tired minds
A Champions League night in Naples with both sides carrying injury and fatigue, but Chelsea arrive with a 41-year domestic title run to protect and a point to prove.
15. That is the number of league games Chelsea have gone unbeaten this season. But in Naples on Tuesday night, the only number that matters is 90 minutes.
Napoli host Chelsea in the Champions League with both sides wounded. The Partenopei are without Ljubomir Sekulović, Alessandro Paiano and Franco Cotrina; Chelsea miss Nacho Valera, Jairzinho and Ibrahim Ramadan. But the bigger story is fatigue. Basile Pirson, Stéphane Assélé, Rubén Montes, Alejandro Puig and Selçuk Yildiz are all running on empty for the home side. For Chelsea, Júnior, José Calderón, Jassem Abdulla and even Lionel Messi arrive tired.
Napoli will set up in their familiar 4-4-2, a shape that has brought 20 games of 1.85 points per game this season. Against a 4-3-3 DM Wide, they have been even better: 4 wins, 2 draws and only 1 defeat in 7, with a goal every 57 minutes. But Chelsea's record with their 4-3-3 DM Wide is frightening: 16 wins, 1 draw, 1 defeat in 18, 54 goals scored. Against a 4-4-2, they average 2.55 points per game and score every 40 minutes.
The key duel is on Napoli's left. Rubén Montes, averaging 7.28 in his last five, faces Norberto Pico. Montes has been Napoli's heartbeat this season, but he is tired. On the other flank, Lionel Messi, averaging 8.0 in his last four, will run at Stéphane Assélé, who is jaded after playing 90 minutes in each of Napoli's last four games.
Roberto Baggio and Samuele Di Loreto both left Napoli for Chelsea without making a mark; neither is likely to start. But the old boy narrative is thin. The real story is whether Napoli's tired legs can hold off Chelsea's tired minds. The Blues have not lost in the league all season, but they lost the Champions League final last year. They need a statement. Napoli need a miracle.