Can Chelsea keep alive their European dream?

Chelsea host Italian side Napoli tonight in the second leg of their first knockout round Champions League tie.

The Blues are 3-1 down from the first leg at the San Paolo and have it all to do to get back into the tie.

Caretaker manager Roberto Di Matteo will take charge of his first European game as Chelsea boss.

Defeat

The first leg in Naples was a feast of football for the neutrals. The game went from end to end. Chelsea missed numerous chances to decrease the deficit and had so many chances they could have even rescued a draw. However, the Blues didn’t take their chances and it cost them.

Defences

In truth both sides had lots of chances in that first leg tie and it could have been 10-10. The reason being that both sides attacking play was far better than their defending. In fact some of the errors that were committed in that game you wouldn’t see schoolboys commit.

Both sides are definitely better at going forward than defending. However will Chelsea welcome back skipper John Terry to the centre of their defence, after he missed the first leg through injury. Terry should restore some stability to that Chelsea defence alongside January arrival Gary Cahill. The mercurial David Luiz looks set to take his place on the bench.

Attack

The Chelsea defence will have to be at their best to contain Napoli’s outstanding attackers Ezequiel Lavezzi and Edinson Cavani. The pair had a hand in both of Napoli’s goals in the first leg. Chelsea can’t allow the pair the space to operate or they could be facing an even  bigger mountain to climb.

Napoli definitely have it in their locker to score an away goal, especially against a defence which is regarded as fragile. I still wouldn’t say Chelsea’s defence is rock solid, even taking into account the return of Terry to the team.

Form

Since the first leg in Naples Di Matteo has inspired a mini revival. The Blues have won both of the games that the Italian has taken charge of since replacing Andre Villas-Boas. Napoli are also in a real good vein of form having won the last six games on the trot.

History

History is against Chelsea when it comes to home games in the knockout stages of the Champions League. The Blues have failed to win any of their five knockout round games at Stamford Bridge. The Blues will have to change that if they are to make it into the quarter-finals.

Victory

There now seems to be a better mood around the club than ahead of the first game. The team now seems more confident and settled. I can see Chelsea winning the game but Napoli going through to the next round.

Napoli are in really good scoring form and I really would expect them to score, even though the Blues have kept two clean sheets under Di Matteo. Cavani and Lavezzi are just two hot to handle at the moment.

Opportunity

Caretaker boss Roberto Di Matteo has been given a golden opportunity to prove himself worthy of the Chelsea managerial hot seat. If he guides the club through this tie and beyond he will only enhance his reputation and improve his chances of getting the position full-time, however unlikely that may seemed.

It may be far fetched to imagine Chelsea winning the competition but if they get through this tie the club will be into the last eight of the competition. If Di Matteo managed the unthinkable and managed to win the competition would Roman Abramovich be able to replace him, I don’t think so.

It’s unlikely but it’s not impossible. However Chelsea don’t look like European Champions and I don’t think the Russian be will be having many sleepless nights about replacing Di Matteo.

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