Head-to-head

Chelsea and Napoli have been paired together for the second time in European competition. This will be the third meeting.

The first two were in 2011/12, when the Blues completed one of our most famous Champions League comebacks. In the last 16 stage, we overturned a 3-1 first-leg deficit to advance 5-4 on aggregate after extra-time.

We have played 14 away European games in Italy, winning two, drawing four and losing eight.

Our eight group/league stage games in Italy (all Champions League)

1999/00 | AC Milan D 1-1 | Wise
1999/00 | Lazio D 0-0
2003/04 | Lazio W 4-0 | Crespo, Gudjohnsen, Duff, Lampard
2012/13 | Juventus L 0-3
2017/18 | Roma L 0-3
2021/22 | Juventus L 0-1
2022/23 | AC Milan W 2-0 | Jorginho pen, Aubameyang
2025/26 | Atalanta L 1-2 | Joao Pedro

Chelsea's biggest away win in the Champions League:

20/10/1999 | Galatasaray 0-5 Chelsea | First group stage
25/11/2014 | Schalke 0-5 Chelsea | Group stage

Chelsea stats

Chelsea are competing in our 20th Champions League campaign. We have made the knockout stage in each of our past eight appearances.

The Blues have lost four and drawn one of our past five Champions League away games. Our last win on the road in the competition was against RB Salzburg in October 2022.

Chelsea have scored in each of our last 22 European games, dating back to a 2-0 defeat to Real Madrid in April 2023. We have opened the scoring in our last six.

Last week against Pafos, Chelsea had a passing accuracy of 94.5 per cent, our highest on record (since 2003/04) in a single Champions League match.

In the same game Moises Caicedo had four of Chelsea’s shots on target, the most he has had in a single game for the Blues in all competitions. He also won the UEFA Player of the Match award.

Liam Rosenior is the first Chelsea head coach to win his first Champions League game in charge since Thomas Tuchel in 2021.

Chris Richards’ consolation header for Crystal Palace on Sunday was the fifth goal in succession we have conceded from a set-piece (three corners, one free-kick, one throw-in).

Champions League results

Bayern Munich (A) L 3-1
Benfica (H) W 1-0
Ajax (H) W 5-1
Qarabag (A) D 2-2
Barcelona (H) W 3-0
Atalanta (A) L 2-1
Pafos (H) W 1-0

Champions League scorers:
Estevao 3 (1 pen), Caicedo 2, Delap 1, Fernandez 1 (pen), Garnacho 1, George 1, Guiu 1, Joao Pedro 1, Palmer 1, Own goal 2

Champions League assists:
James 2, Santos 2, Fernandez 1, Fofana 1, Gittens 1, Gusto 1

Milestones

If Reece James starts, he will captain Chelsea for the 50th time.

Cole Palmer is two away from a half-century of goals for Chelsea, a milestone only 40 players have previously reached.

Napoli stats

Last season

Serie A - Champions
Coppa Italia - Round of 16
Top scorer all competitions: Romelu Lukaku 14

This is Napoli’s ninth Champions League campaign proper. Their best performance came in 2022/23 when they were beaten by AC Milan in the quarter-finals.

Last season, Napoli were not involved in UEFA competition for the first time since 2009/10.

Napoli have won seven of their previous ten home games against English opposition in UEFA competition (one draw, two defeats), including the last three. Arsenal in 2019 and Manchester City in 2017 are the two to have won at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

Seven of Napoli’s eight points in this season’s league phase have been won at home.

Napoli have won two of their last nine European matches (two draws, five defeats).

Napoli are unbeaten at home in all competitions since 8 December 2024 when they played Lazio. Since then they have won 19 of their 27 games on home soil, drawing the other eight.

There are three former Chelsea players in a Napoli squad managed by ex-Blues boss Antonio Conte – Lukaku, Billy Gilmour and Kevin De Bruyne.

Napoli’s Champions League fixtures/results

18.09.25 | Man City (a) | L 0-2
01.10.25 | Sporting CP (h) | W 2-1
21.10.25 | PSV (a) | L 2-6
04.11.25 | Eintracht Frankfurt (h) | D 0-0
25.11.25 | Qarabag (h) | W 2-0
10.12.25 | Benfica (a) | L 0-2
20.01.26 | Copenhagen (a) | D 1-1

Champions League scorers (League phase): McTominay 4, Hojlund 2, own goal 1

Napoli lost 3-0 at rivals Juventus last weekend. They are fourth in Serie A on 43 points from 22 games, nine points behind leaders Inter Milan. Lukaku came on for the last 11 minutes for his first appearance of the season following a long injury lay-off.

Napoli’s top scorers across all competitions this season are Rasmus Hojlund and Scott McTominay, both with nine.

Antonio Conte's management record vs Chelsea

Won: 2
Drawn: 2
Lost: 3

Last five results

Inter Milan (a) Serie A - D 2-2
Parma (h) Serie A - D 0-0
Sassuolo (h) Serie A - W 1-0
Copenhagen (a) Champions League - D 1-1
Juventus (a) Serie A - L 0-3

Last Champions League line-up

Copenhagen 1 Napoli 1
Tuesday 20 January
Team (3-4-2-1): Milinkovic-Savic; Di Lorenzo (c), Buongiorno, Juan Jesus; Gutierrez (Ambrosino 75), Lobotka, McTominay, Spinazzola (Olivera 63); Vergara (Lang 63), Elmas (Lucca 80); Hojlund
Goal: Hojlund 39

Discipline

There are no suspensions.

Enzo Fernandez and Andrey Santos are one Champions League booking away from a one-match suspension.

Players and team officials are suspended for the next competition match after three cautions, that did not result in a red card, as well as after any subsequent odd-numbered caution (fifth, seventh, ninth, etc.). In addition, all yellow cards expire on the completion of the quarter-finals and are not carried forward to the semi-finals.

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Champions League yellow cards

Fernandez 2, Santos 2, Buonanotte 1, Caicedo 1, Chalobah 1, Estevao 1, Gittens 1, Gusto 1, James 1, Tosin 1.

Champions League red cards

Joao Pedro (Benfica CL h, two yellow cards)

Match officials

Referee: Clement Turpin (France)
Assistant referees: Nicolas Danos and Benjamin Pages (both France)
Fourth official: Ruddy Buquet (France)
VAR: Jerome Brisard (France)