London: Napoli assistant coach Nicolo Frustalupi has warned that Chelsea will be dangerous opponents in the second leg of their Champions League round-of-16 match on Wednesday in the wake of their recent managerial change.
The Premier League side parted company with head coach Andre Villas-Boas earlier this month, and named Roberto Di Matteo as his temporary replacement.
Frustalupi, who will lead Napoli at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday with head coach Walter Mazzarri, feels that Villas-Boas' dismissal could give Chelsea an extra boost.
"It will be a much more difficult and intense game than the first one. After the departure of a manager, players always feel sort of responsible and want to do something extra," Frustalupi said to Il Corriere dello Sport.
"Every game is unique, and we are feeling comfortable. Chelsea are a team full of champions though, and we know that they are very strong at home."
"It would be a dream to qualify for the next round, but we have already done a great job in the Champions League. Nobody counted on us to make it this far."
Napoli midfielder Marek Hamsik also warned his side not to underestimate Chelsea.
The Serie A club took a big step towards reaching the quarter-finals of the competition after securing a 3-1 victory at the San Paolo in the first leg of their last-16 tie.
However, Hamsik does not believe that the Blues are in crisis, and says they have responded positively under Di Matteo.
"Villas-Boas' sack does not favour us, Chelsea showed a new spirit in the last two matches," Hamsik told his club's official website.
"However, we are only thinking about ourselves. This will be an important match and we trust our capacities. They will surge forward in attack to level the tie, we can hit them on the counter."
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