"Laurens: As we said last year, one of the great things about this new Champions League format with a 36-team league phase is that it should give us a great MD8 every year, with suspense, jeopardy, sexy permutations and a lot at stake. It was the case last year, and it will be the same again next week. And for me, the biggest do-or-die fixture is without a doubt Napoli vs. Chelsea."
"Pitting Antonio Conte and the Italian champions against his former club for a place in the knockout playoffs, it would be a humiliation for Scott McTominay & Co. to finish outside of the Top 24. An absolute disgrace. They have 90 minutes to play and three points needed, or they will be the laughingstock of European football. Equally, the Blues will also need something from the game to guarantee a Top 8 finish and avoid the extra two games"
Arsenal lead the Champions League league phase with a perfect record after defeating Internazionale. Tottenham occupy a surprising fifth position, while Manchester City sit outside the Top 8 following a shock loss to Bodø/Glimt. Several major clubs, including Napoli, face real danger of elimination with only one round left to determine knockout-phase qualification. Napoli must win against Chelsea to reach the knockout playoffs, while Chelsea need a result to guarantee a Top 8 finish and avoid extra playoff matches. The Napoli–Chelsea match at the Diego Maradona Stadium is expected to be intensely tense and decisive.
Read at ESPN.com
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