Chelsea start Matchday Eight of the Champions League sitting eighth in the league phase table and a win away at Napoli should see them qualify directly for the last-16.
The Blues are one of eight teams currently on 13 points, meaning goal difference and other factors are likely to come into play.
Meanwhile, Napoli are 25th in the table and need a win and other results to go their way to make the play-off round.
A lot is riding on Wednesday’s fixture at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium. It kicks off at 8pm and is available to watch by UK viewers on TNT Sports 4.
Chelsea predicted XI vs Napoli
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Robert Sánchez; Malo Gusto, Trevoh Chalobah, Benoit Badiashile, Marc Cucurella; Moises Caicedo, Reece James; Pedro Neto, Enzo Fernández, Estêvão; João Pedro.
Chelsea team news vs Napoli
Chelsea were excellent in Sunday’s 3-1 win at Crystal Palace and Liam Rosenior is unlikely to make too many changes for Wednesday’s fixture.
Cole Palmer could be in contention following a thigh injury, but may not be risked from the start, while Tosin Adarabioyo (hamstring) and Dario Essugo (unspecified) are definitely out.
Enzo Fernandez and Andrey Santos are both a booking away from missing the Blues’ next European fixture. The latter could drop out, with Malo Gusto coming into the side at right-back and Reece James slotting into central midfield.
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Rosenior may stick with a winning formula
Much has been made of Chelsea’s transfer policy in recent years and several coaches have struggled to manage their squad’s expectations.
However, Rosenior has won four out of his five games in charge – the only defeat coming in the first leg of his team’s EFL Cup semi-final against Arsenal – and they produced their best performance of his reign in Sunday’s 3-1 win at Palace.
Injuries and illness have forced him to rotate, but the 41-year-old might choose to continue with the side that played so well against the Eagles.
Antonio Conte has switched to a 3-4-3 in recent weeks, the same shape that Palace employ under Oliver Glasner.
Chelsea outplayed their London rivals across the field on Sunday, and continuing with the players who excelled at the weekend might be an uncomplicated yet clever approach.
A particular feature was Joao Pedro’s play, the Brazilian striker scoring and having another goal-bound effort blocked by Jaydee Canvot’s hand, resulting in a penalty.
The forward’s movement caused Maxence Lacroix repeated issues by dragging the Frenchman into areas he didn’t feel comfortable in and vacating space for his team-mates to move into.
Alessandro Buongiorno is likely to be in the middle of Napoli’s back three. He gave away a penalty in last week’s 1-1 draw at Copenhagen, one of 15 fouls he has committed in this season’s Champions League, and the Blues’ fluid frontline could cause more issues on Wednesday.
