Chelsea playing for EPL future

Chelsea will be playing for more than just simple qualification when they travel to Napoli in the Champions League second round, first leg tonight.

It's a tie that could have far wider reaching consequences for both coach Andre Villas-Boas and English football as a whole.

Villas-Boas, for many people's money, is living on borrowed time in the Stamford Bridge hot-seat.
Rumours of dressing room dissent and some unsatisfactory results have made his position appear precarious.

Chelsea face a fight to finish in the top four in the Premier League, battling alongside Arsenal and Newcastle for that crucial fourth spot, and hence qualification for next season's premier European club competition.

They came close to bowing out of the FA Cup at home to Championship Birmingham City at the weekend too, before snatching a draw.

Villas-Boas admits he doesn't know if he will still be in a job if they fail to beat the Italians.

"It's not up to me to decide that, you have to ask that question to the right person," he said, referring to owner Roman Abramovich.

But the Portuguese manager says his side is lacking in belief due to their recent poor results.
"The situation is we don't have enough good results for us to feel a bit strong," he said.

"But we are still in these competitions and will continue to push for them. It will be a difficult game against Napoli but we have shown in the group games we can overcome adversity."

With Chelsea's recent troubles and Napoli's return to form the Italians' coach Walter Mazzarri is confident.

"Right now maybe Chelsea is worse than us but I don't believe that," he said. "At this level you come up against teams full of great players who are used to certain situations. I'm sure they'll regroup for the occasion."

Mazzarri will be forced to watch from the stands, having been sent off in their last group game against Villarreal.

He may also be without centre-back Hugo Campagnaro while Chelsea has their own defensive worries with captain John Terry rated as doubtful and left-back Ashley Cole facing a race to be fit.

Meanwhile, in today’s other match, Spanish giants Real Madrid are going to snow-covered Moscow primed to extend their winning streak in this year's Champions League last 16, first leg match with CSKA.
Nine-time European champions Real are clear favourites having won all six of their Group D encounters and are now hoping to continue their winning run into the knockout stages.

But CSKA manager Leonid Slutsky said he was priming his players for a lively start against Real, adding the initial exchanges may determine the course of the entire match.

click to enlarge DESPERATE TIMES: Chelsea’s Fernando Torres (left) hopes to impress against Napoli © NAMPA/REUTERS