Napoli are not favourites, Mazzarri says
Napoli manager Walter Mazzarri is wary of the threat posed by Chelsea in their Champions League tie and believes his side are the slight underdogs, Sky Sports reports.
The Blues travel to Italy on Tuesday night for the first leg of the second round tie and will face a hostile atmosphere in Naples. Both sides have fallen off the pace in their domestic leagues this season, but whilst Napoli have begun to regain form in recent weeks, Chelsea are still inconsistent. Mazzarri will be banned for both legs and expects a tough encounter against the Premier League side, rejecting suggestions that Napoli face a team in crisis.
Mazzarri said: 'We went through a negative period, but that is something that every team has at times. We kept conceding at the first opportunity, but now things are changing. Things go better for us, partly because we work on them during the week. Perhaps we are in better shape than Chelsea going into this game, but they have champions who are accustomed to playing a certain level of game.'
The Napoli boss continued: 'On Tuesday they know that they cannot make a mistake, so will become unified and I doubt we'll be facing a team in crisis. Naturally, at this level you need a bit of luck too. I do not agree that Napoli are favourites. It will be a terrible test, in order to pass it we must do something extraordinary.'
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