Romelu Lukaku looks set for his first Serie A start for Napoli on Sunday evening as Antonio Conte’s side meet Cagliari at the Unipol Domus. A trip to Sardinia stirs mixed feelings for the Belgian striker, who, despite his impressive numbers against the Islanders, doesn’t have fond memories of this venue.
Lukaku first visited Cagliari in 2019 during his time at Inter. As he was lining up to take a penalty, he was the subject of racist abuse from the stands, with the home fans meeting him with monkey chants. It’s hard to forget an experience like that, but the new Napoli center-forward has shown resilience throughout his career.
The 31-year-old has responded to insults with a flurry of goals. Lukaku enjoys playing against Cagliari, as evidenced by his outstanding scoring record at the Unipol Domus. He has scored in all three previous visits to Cagliari’s home ground. As such, Napoli fans will look forward to this fixture.
During his season-long loan at Roma last season, Lukaku bagged a brace here to inspire the Giallorossi to a comprehensive 4-1 victory. With Conte likely to hand the ex-Chelsea flop his first Napoli start, the Sardinian crowd might tremble again, especially given Lukaku’s maiden appearance for the Partenopei.
He came off the bench to score an all-important equalizer as Napoli overhauled a halftime deficit in a 2-1 home triumph against ten-man Parma before the international break. In addition to Lukaku, Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour could make their Serie A debuts.
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