Koulibaly hoping for Chelsea-Napoli Champions League final

Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly wants to avoid Napoli in the next round of the Champions League in the hope of a potential final against his former club.

Two-time European champions Chelsea beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 on Tuesday to progress to the quarter-finals in a 2-1 aggregate victory.

Meanwhile, Napoli lead 2-0 in their last-16 tie against Eintracht Frankfurt ahead of the second leg next week and have emerged as one of the tournament’s favourites given their 15-point lead in Serie A.

Koulibaly left the Partenopei for Chelsea at the start of the season and is keen for any reunion to be delayed until June.

“I hope to meet them as far away as possible,” Koulibaly told Sky Sports. “Maybe in the final in Istanbul would be better.

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— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) March 7, 2023

“We know how important Napoli is to me, but now I’m focused on my team.

“If we meet them, we will do everything to win, but I hope it is as far as possible because I also wish them to go a long way, and why not face us in the final?”

A second straight victory for Chelsea in all competitions followed a run of just two wins in 15 before last weekend.

The poor run has Graham Potter’s side in 10th in the Premier League, raising doubts about the head coach’s future.

“It was a bit of a difficult moment,” added Koulibaly. “We knew that this game was fundamental for us; we wanted to win it at all costs.

A special night! #UCL pic.twitter.com/rw5eUjcIeG

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) March 8, 2023

“We played a great game, I think, and we showed the intensity we had to show. We wanted to win at all costs, and we can be happy.”

Next for Chelsea is an away trip to Leicester City on Saturday, with the Champions League quarter-final draw taking place on March 17.