Napoli are the current champions of Italy.
Their current squad boasts star names such as Romelu Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne and reigning Serie A Player of the Season Scott McTominay, who finished 18th in the 2025 Ballon d’Or voting.
However, Napoli will be eliminated from the Champions League if they lose at home to Chelsea next week. A draw could also eliminate Napoli depending on results elsewhere.
Napoli threatens to become the biggest victim of the new Champions League format
Since UEFA introduced its new league stage format, the prospect of an elite team failing to reach the knockout stages appears to have become less likely than ever.
The biggest name to be eliminated at the end of the league stage last season was RB Leipzig, who departed alongside Dinamo Zagreb, Stuttgart, Shakhtar Donetsk, Bologna, Rode Ster, Sturm Graz, Sparta Prague, Girona, RB Salzburg, Slovan Bratislava and Young Boys.
This season, the guest list of early exits could be much more distinctive. Villarreal – in third place in La Liga – have already been eliminated, having taken just one point from their first seven Champions League games.
Ajax and Benfica are both in serious danger and are in 32nd and 29th place with a matchweek remaining. Meanwhile, 1993 champions Marseille and 2004 finalists Monaco could also fail to advance if they lose their final match of the league stage.
If Napoli drop out at this stage, they will have to be considered the biggest losers of the new Champions League era.
Champions League table
| Team | MP | W | D | L | GD | Ptn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Arsenal | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 21 |
| 2. Bayern Munich | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 18 |
| 3. Real Madrid | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 15 |
| 4. Liverpool | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 15 |
| 5. Tottenham | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 14 |
| 6.PSG | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 13 |
| 7. Newcastle | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 13 |
| 8.Chelsea | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 13 |
| 9.Barcelona | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 13 |
| 10. Sporty | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 13 |
| 11. Man’s City | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 13 |
| 12. Atletico Madrid | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 13 |
| 13. Atalanta | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 13 |
| 14. Inter Milan | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 12 |
| 15. Juventus | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 12 |
| 16. Dortmund | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 11 |
| 17. Galatasaray | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| 18. Garabagh | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 10 |
| 19. Marseilles | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 9 |
| 20. Leverkusen | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | −4 | 9 |
| 21. Monaco | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | −6 | 9 |
| 22. PSV Eindhoven | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 8 |
| 23. Athletic Bilbao | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | −4 | 8 |
| 24. Olympiacos | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | −5 | 8 |
| 25. Naples | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | −5 | 8 |
| 26. Copenhagen | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | −6 | 8 |
| 27. Club Brugge | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | −5 | 7 |
| 28. Bodo/Glimt | 7 | 1 | 3 | 3 | −2 | 6 |
| 29. Benfica | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | −4 | 6 |
| 30. Pathos | 7 | 1 | 3 | 3 | −6 | 6 |
| 31. Union SG | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | −10 | 6 |
| 32. Ajax | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | −12 | 6 |
| 33. Frankfurt | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | −9 | 4 |
| 34. Slavia Prague | 7 | 0 | 3 | 4 | −11 | 3 |
| 35. Villarreal | 7 | 0 | 1 | 6 | −10 | 1 |
| 36. Kairat | 7 | 0 | 1 | 6 | −14 | 1 |
Chelsea and Napoli’s Champions League results this season
| Chelsea | Naples |
|---|---|
| Lost 3-1 at Bayern Munich | Lost 2-0 at Man City |
| Won 1-0 at home against Benfica | Won 2-1 at home against Sporting |
| Won 5-1 at home against Ajax | Lost away match against PSV 6-2 |
| Drawn 2-2 at Qarabag | Draw 0-0 at home against Frankfurt |
| Won 3-0 at home against Barcelona | Won 2-0 at home against Qarabag |
| Lost 2-1 at Atalanta | Lost 2-0 at Benfica |
| Won 1-0 at home against Pafos | Drawn 1-1 at Copenhagen |
The permutations in the Champions League also leave Chelsea desperate for three points
But will Napoli be eliminated? They have not lost at home in any competition since 2024. In their home games in the Champions League this season, they defeated Sporting and Qarabag, either side of a 1-1 draw against Frankfurt.
The problem for Napoli is that on matchday eight they will face a Chelsea team who are also desperate for three points.
Chelsea are currently eighth in the table and are keen to remain in the top eight to secure direct passage to the round of 16 and avoid an extra pile-up of games in February.
A win for Chelsea would likely take them slightly higher than eighth place, but any other result would almost certainly see them in the play-off round – while also raising the possibility of them facing Arsenal, Bayern Munich or Real Madrid if they reach the round of 16.
Chelsea and Napoli have only met twice before, but they have quite a history
For two clubs who have only met twice in competition, the backstory between Chelsea and Napoli is wonderfully rich, both on and off the pitch.
Their last meeting helped Chelsea on their way to the biggest night in their history. The clubs met in the round of 16 of the Champions League in 2012, with Napoli winning the first leg in Naples 3-1.
That defeat proved a major factor in Chelsea’s decision to sack Andre Villas-Boas just twelve days later. Roberto Di Matteo was put in charge as caretaker manager and he immediately steadied the ship. Chelsea won the second leg 4-1 after extra time at Stamford Bridge to progress – and Di Matteo ultimately led them to their first Champions League title that season.
That’s partly why next week’s rematch feels bigger than a league-stage match. Napoli can turn the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona into a cauldron again, while Chelsea can point to their own history of surviving the chaos that followed – and coming out the other end as champions of Europe.
There is also a modern edge to the storyline, starting with Napoli coach Antonio Conte. Conte won Chelsea’s last Premier League title in 2017 and won the FA Cup the following season, but his spell ended in acrimony. Whether you see him as hero or villain at Stamford Bridge, he is a manager who thrives on emotion and confrontation – and a must-win European night against his old club is exactly the kind of stage he likes.
Another link could emerge during the January transfer window as Chelsea outcast Raheem Sterling is reportedly a target for Napoli.
Then there is Romelu Lukaku, whose Chelsea story remains one of the most complicated in recent Premier League history. Chelsea broke their transfer record by signing him from Inter for £97.5m in 2021, and Lukaku spoke like a man living the dream, saying: “I supported Chelsea as a kid and now to be back and try to help them win more titles is a great feeling.”
It didn’t take long for the reunion to sour. Less than a year later he took part in an unsanctioned one Heaven Italy interview in which he said he was unhappy and spoke openly about his desire to return to Inter Milan.
Lukaku’s last appearance for Chelsea came in May 2022, but he did not permanently leave the club until August 2024, when Napoli paid Chelsea £30 million to sign him. He scored fourteen league goals in his first season for Napoli, winning the Serie A title.
He has not featured so far this season due to injuries and fitness issues. It would be timing if he were to make his return against his old club on Wednesday evening.
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