Last season’s Serie A relegation fighters, Cagliari, entertain redemption hopefuls Napoli at the Unipol Domus on Sunday evening. Both teams headed into September’s international break with mixed feelings and will hope to resume on a positive note.
Cagliari embarked on their second successive top-flight campaign with back-to-back low-scoring draws against promoted Como and European hopefuls Roma. However, Davide Nicola’s team slipped to a narrow 1-0 defeat to ten-man Lecce on the stroke of the international window.
As one of eight Serie A clubs yet to win a league match in 2024/25, the Sardinians have solidified their status as hot relegation candidates thus far. A lack of firepower in the front third has emerged as Cagliari’s undoing in the early season. They’ve netted a league joint-low one goal.
Unlike their hosts, Napoli have recovered from a disastrous Serie A start. After losing 3-0 at Hellas Verona on his touchline debut, new manager Antonio Conte has inspired the Partenopei to two consecutive league victories over Bologna and Parma, reigniting optimism in Naples following a humiliating 2023/24 campaign.
Incredible scenes at the Diego Maradona Stadium saw Napoli come from behind to beat Parma 2-1 with two injury-time goals before the break. Marquee summer arrival Romelu Lukaku scored in his first appearance for the club to initiate the comeback.
Match Preview
Cagliari
Cagliari’s winless home streak in Serie A stands at five games (D4, L1) after two straight draws at the start of the new campaign. Unfortunately, their underwhelming home form could hit a new low, with Napoli set to arrive at the Unipol Domus.
Nicola laments a dismal record against the Partenopei. The Italian manager had lost his first seven matches against this opposition before finally claiming his first in April during his brief stint at Empoli. But he looks destined to suffer another defeat here.
The 51-year-old has notoriously struggled against Conte, losing all three managerial duels against his esteemed compatriot. A change of scenery looks unlikely, considering Cagliari last defeated Napoli on home turf in 2009. After that, it’s been all doom and gloom for the Sardinians.
Napoli
Since their last defeat on this ground, Napoli have racked up eight wins and four draws away to Cagliari in Serie A. However, the last two meetings between these two at the Unipol Domus have ended level, meaning the Partenopei cannot take anything for granted.
Conte certainly won’t. He has only lost once in his 13 previous encounters against the Sardinians as a manager (W9, D3). That bodes well for Napoli’s hopes of strengthening their formidable record against Cagliari in their last 26 clashes (W17, D8, L1).
But it’s worth noting that both Conte’s wins in charge of Napoli have come on home soil. He lost his only previous away game at the helm, which forms part of the visitors’ embarrassing run of just two wins from their last 15 matches on the road (D5, L8).
Team News
Cagliari should have the entire squad fit and ready for this fixture, except for injury-troubled Matteo Prati. Napoli loanee Gianluca Gaetano could feature against his parent club in the midfield, taking Prati’s place in the starting XI. The only question mark hangs over Gianluca Lapadula’s head as he returned late from the international break.
On the other hand, Napoli will take this trip without long-term absentee Mario Rui. Despite earlier concerns, standout winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is available for selection. The same goes for Scottish duo Billy Gilmour and Scott McTominay, who could make their Serie A debuts on Sunday.
Cagliari vs Napoli Potential Line-ups
Cagliari (3-5-2): Simone Scuffet; Gabriele Zappa, Yerry Mina, Sebastiano Luperto; Nadir Zortea, Gianluca Gaetano, Razvan Marin, Alessandro Deiola, Tommaso Augello; Zito Luvumbo, Roberto Piccoli.
Napoli (3-4-2-1): Alex Meret; Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Amir Rrahmani, Alessandro Buongiorno; Pasquale Mazzocchi, Stanislav Lobotka, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Mathias Olivera; David Neres, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia; Romelu Lukaku.
Cagliari vs Napoli Prediction
Despite an unconvincing showing against ten-man Parma, Napoli are in far better shape than their out-of-sorts hosts. Cagliari’s scoring problems could lead to their demise against Conte’s new-look defense as we back the visiting side to take home three points with conviction.
We wouldn’t be surprised if Conte’s men register their second win ‘to nil’ this season.
Prediction: Napoli to Win
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