Mazzarri fears Chelsea backlash in Europe

Napoli coach Walter Mazzarri is fearful of a Chelsea backlash in the first leg of its Champions League last-16 match on Tuesday.

Chelsea go into the game in Naples licking their wounds after dropping to fifth in the Premier League and only managing a 1-1 draw in the FA Cup on Saturday against second-tier Birmingham City.

Mazzarri says, "paradoxically, their difficulties at the moment in English competitions could be an extra obstacle for us," and adds that he doesn't trust form tables.

Napoli are full of confidence after rising to sixth in the Serie A standings with two successive victories. Edinson Cavani struck twice in an impressive 3-0 win at Fiorentina on Friday to take his tally for the season to 15 in the league.