Cavani Earns Napoli Coppa Final

Edinson Cavani's first-half strike helped Napoli book their place in the final of the Coppa Italia with victory over Siena as they overcame a one-goal first-leg deficit and triumph 3-2 on aggregate.

Simone Vergassola's 10th-minute own goal paved the way for Napoli's comeback and when Cavani struck after 31 minutes it proved enough to send Walter Mazzarri's men to the final.

Napoli pushed forward from the start and had a fine chance in the seventh minute when Cavani was set up by Camilo Zuniga in the Siena box, but fired over from a very good position.

Vergassola's moment to forget came three minutes later when he clumsily deflected a free-kick from Ezequiel Lavezzi into his own net from 10 yards.

Napoli continued to press with Cavani bringing a fine diving save out of Zeljko Brkic in the Siena goal, then Marek Hamsik driving just over the bar from long range.

Napoli's second came from a swift counter-attack, with Cavani bursting out of the defence and finding Hamsik, who responded with a neat cross for the Uruguayan to head into the bottom corner.

Cavani should have added his second before the break when he missed the target after Brkic saved well from Gokhan Inler, and Napoli were almost made to pay when Emanuele Pesoli headed just over the bar for Siena.

In a good start to the second half for the visitors, Franco Brienza and Nicola Belmonte both came close, but Napoli's best chance fell to Lavezzi who shot over the bar in the 79th minute with only the keeper to beat.

Hamsik had a chance to make certain for Napoli five minutes from time when he was fed by Goran Pandev, but shot just the wrong side of the right-hand post before Brienza missed Siena's last chance from a tight angle.

Napoli will face Juventus in the final at the Stadio Olympico on May 20.

Ivanovic Gets Chelsea Win

Branislav Ivanovic scored an extra-time winner as Chelsea reached the Champions League quarter-finals with a dramatic victory over Napoli at Stamford Bridge.

Trailing 3-1 from the first leg, Chelsea went ahead against the run of play through Didier Drogba's header.

John Terry nodded in a Frank Lampard corner before Gokhan Inler's half-volley restored Napoli's advantage.

But Lampard scored a penalty to force extra time and Ivanovic fired Drogba's cross in to confirm Chelsea's progress.

It was their third straight victory since Andre Villas-Boas was sacked as manager, but surely the most important.

The Blues are the only English team to make it into the last eight and they deserved their place after a spirited display.

The draw takes place on Friday and Chelsea can be paired with APOEL, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Benfica, Marseille, Milan or Real Madrid.

They are the first team to advance despite losing by at least two goals in the first leg of a Champions League tie since 2004.

Chelsea v Napoli - Preview

Chelsea will aim to succeed where Arsenal failed by overturning a first-leg deficit against Italian opposition in order to reach the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League.

Arsenal fell agonisingly short in their quest to make the last eight a week ago when only able to beat AC Milan 3-0 at home having lost 4-0 in the San Siro in the first leg.

The task facing Chelsea is slightly less daunting after a 3-1 defeat away by Napoli in their first meeting, with Juan Mata having scored a potentially vital away goal.

It leaves the Blues needing just a 2-0 win to qualify, however, Napoli will be mindful of the indecisive performance Milan produced in the first half against Arsenal before regrouping after half-time.

There has also been a big change at Chelsea since the first leg, with Andre Villas-Boas replaced as manager by his assistant Roberto Di Matteo for the rest of the season.

Villas-Boas drew fierce criticism for his decision to leave Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard and Michael Essien out of his starting line-up for the game in Naples amid claims his relationship with the squad had broken down.

In the build-up to the game, Chelsea captain John Terry has stressed player power was not behind the removal of Villas-Boas and is hoping for one of the greatest nights in Chelsea's history.

However, history is against the Blues, who have not won any of their past five home Champions League knockout matches and are also the sole Premier League team left in the competition.

Di Matteo has won both of his games since taking charge, without conceding a goal, and he is expected to rely on the club's senior players for the fixture.

Terry's quicker than expected return from knee surgery has given the Blues a boost and he should continue his partnership in defence with January signing Gary Cahill, who was all at sea in the first leg.

Raul Meireles is suspended for the game, so Essien or John Obi Mikel are likely to start in a midfield three which should also comprise Ramires and Lampard.

Daniel Sturridge and Mata will provide any width, while Drogba will be the spearhead after scoring the only goal in Saturday's success over Stoke City.

Napoli have travelled to West London on the back of a six-game winning run and fresh from a thrilling 6-3 victory over Cagliari last Friday.

The club were also handed a boost when coach Walter Mazzarri was given the green light to sit on the bench after the Court of Arbitration for Sport agreed to study an appeal into his two-match touchline ban.

Ezequiel Lavezzi scored twice, and Edinson Cavani got the other goal, in the first leg and the South American duo will again be expected to give the Chelsea defence the run-around.

Mazzarri also has a virtually fully-fit squad to select from, with Miguel Britos and Gianluca Grava included after missing the win over Cagliari due to injury.

JT Rallying for Chelsea Miracle

John Terry of Chelsea believes it would rank among the greatest nights in Chelsea history should the Blues overhaul their 3-1 first-leg deficit against SSC Napoli on Tuesday.

Chelsea went ahead in the opening instalment of their UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie at the San Paolo Stadium three weeks ago but, without the injured Terry, were ultimately unable to cope with their hosts' attacking prowess. The centre-back returned to action at the weekend after six weeks out with a knee injury and is ready to lead his side to a memorable evening at Stamford Bridge.

"If it all goes well it could go down as one of the great nights in Chelsea's history," he said. "What could be important for us is the start. A good start will get the fans ready and will also make us believe as well – it could be the key factor. If not, we also have the experience and patience to know it only takes a couple of minutes to score two goals.

"Over there in a hostile atmosphere they showed they are a very good footballing and attacking side. With that in mind we are very much aware of what they can bring to us, but we are hoping we have the squad and the experience to overcome that."

Terry's return is not the only change since that meeting in Naples, with manager André Villas-Boas having been shown the door ten days later following an indifferent run of results. Former assistant Roberto Di Matteo has masterminded successive victories since taking temporary charge and Terry thinks a comeback could prove to be a catalyst to further success this term.

"Obviously I'm not happy with the position we're in in the league [fifth], but we know we can still turn it around," he said. "There are a lot of games to play and if we manage to do it tomorrow night it could still be one of our best seasons ever."

The England defender also suggested that he and Di Matteo, himself a former Chelsea player and still a popular figure with the fans at Stamford Bridge, are the perfect men for the job in hand. 

"We have Chelsea in our blood and we realise what it means to the football club and the fans," he added. "What we are is Chelsea and what we represent is Chelsea. We give that fiery atmosphere in the dressing room and we try and take that onto the pitch and hopefully everyone feeds off that.

"All I can say is that as a group of players we're ready for tomorrow night and we're determined to give everything to make sure we stay in this competition. If we do it, it could go down as one of the best nights in Chelsea's history."