Napoli vs Chelsea Prediction: McTominay the man to watch in crunch clash

Familiar faces will be reunited on Wednesday night as Antonio Conte's Napoli host his former side Chelsea on the final matchday of the league phase of the Champions League (20:00 GMT, live on TNT Sports 4).

The hosts need maximum points to avoid elimination from the competition, while the Blues can secure a top-eight finish by avoiding defeat here. Read on for my Napoli vs Chelsea predictions, as well as the latest team news and match odds.

Team News

Rasmus Hojlund is expected to lead the line for the hosts, rather than ex-Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku, who only recently returned from injury at the weekend, after being sidelined since August.

Kevin De Bruyne headlines the club's lengthy injury list, which includes Billy Gilmour, David Neres, Amir Rrahmani, Matteo Politano and Frank Anguissa.

As for Chelsea, Cole Palmer's involvement in Wednesday's game is uncertain after the midfielder missed the 3-1 win at Crystal Palace at the weekend with a thigh problem, while Levi Colwill, Tosin Adarabioyo and Dario Essugo are unavailable.

Romeo Lavia remains on the treatment table, while it's unclear how long Filip Jorgensen will be absent for, with his issue still being assessed.

Napoli vs Chelsea Odds

Napoli are 2/1 to claim all three points in front of their fans, the draw is 12/5 and a Chelsea win is available at 13/10, giving them an implied win probability of 43.5%.

Both teams to score is 8/13 and over 2.5 goals is 4/5.

The most recent meeting between these two in Naples saw the Italian outfit win 3-1, and a repeat of that scoreline can be backed at 22/1.

Napoli to win @ 2/1

Conte's success domestically has never translated into Europe, and the Italian will be desperate to pick up a result here against his former employers to ensure his side have a chance of making the knockout rounds.

To put Conte's domestic success into context - he's won the league with four different clubs over the past 15 years: Juventus, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Napoli.

Now, I know you might be asking why I'm backing Napoli on Wednesday when I'm discussing how Conte has been underwhelming in Europe, and it's because I think this game suits Conte and Napoli down to the ground.

A heavyweight is coming to town, Napoli are up against it in terms of their position in the league phase standings and they're at home - all of which feeds perfectly into Conte's underdog mentality.

At 2/1, I think Napoli are certainly worth considering here, especially since they need a win more than Chelsea do.

Scott McTominay to score anytime @ 5/2

One man who can help Napoli to victory is Scott McTominay, who will be a name familiar to Chelsea fans given his time at Manchester United.

The Scotsman scored twice against the Blues during his time at Old Trafford, and he has four goals in seven Champions League appearances this term.

He's not been as prolific in Serie A, scoring just five times in 21 games, but McTominay's goal record for Napoli over the past couple of seasons makes him a threat heading into any big game.

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