Preview: Cagliari vs. Napoli

After a dramatic end to August – both on and off the pitch – Napoli return from the international break on Sunday evening, when they meet Cagliari in Sardinia.

While the visitors pulled off an improbable victory last time out, their hosts were beaten by Lecce and have yet to win in Serie A this season.

Match preview

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Having bounced back from an opening-day defeat to Hellas Verona by beating Bologna 3-0 at Stadio Maradona, new-look Napoli were heading for a home loss to newly promoted Parma entering the finale of their third Serie A contest under Antonio Conte.

They still trailed by one goal on 75 minutes, but the visitors’ goalkeeper had a rush of blood to the head, racing out to hack down David Neres and receiving a second yellow card; with no more substitutes available, defender Enrico Del Prato took the gloves for 10-man Parma.

Scenting blood, Napoli flooded forward and ultimately turned the game on its head, scoring twice during more than 15 minutes of stoppage time, as debutant Romelu Lukaku first fired past a helpless Del Prato, before Frank Anguissa powered in a match-winning header.

A real favourite of Conte, Lukaku’s arrival was timely; the former hero of Naples, Victor Osimhen, then departed on loan to Galatasaray after several months of animosity between the Scudetto-winning striker and club president Aurelio De Laurentiis.

Now that the transfer window has slid shut and Conte has been able to work with some of his squad during the international period, the Azzurri will try to improve their dismal away record over the past few months.

In the process of dismally failing to defend their title last term – and losing in Verona last month – they have managed just two Serie A wins on the road since December 2023.

Furthermore, the last time Napoli posted three consecutive league victories under a single head coach was at the start of last year, when Luciano Spalletti was still in charge, so Conte will be keen to put that right this weekend.

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Precedent is certainly stacked against Cagliari as they resume action after a two-week break: they have lost six of their last eight home matches against Napoli, conceding an average of 2.6 goals per game.

In all, the Sardinian side have won just one of the last 26 meetings with their Campanian counterparts, with their most recent Serie A success on home turf dating all the way back to 2009, under the management of Max Allegri.

When the two sides last met, though, they played out a 1-1 draw at Unipol Domus, as Zito Luvumbo netted a stoppage-time leveller to equalise Osimhen’s opening goal in February.

Since then, Claudio Ranieri led the Rossoblu to safety before retiring and handing the reins to Davide Nicola, who has experienced a mixed run of results so far.

After Cagliari progressed from the first round of the Coppa Italia, they kicked off their Serie A campaign with back-to-back draws, before losing 1-0 to likely survival rivals Lecce last time out, despite having a one-man advantage throughout the second half.

Ahead of Sunday’s game, they have drawn six of their last nine home matches and kept just one clean sheet in the process – though that sole shutout came in a goalless stalemate with Roma on the opening matchday.

Cagliari Serie A form:

Cagliari form (all competitions):

Napoli Serie A form:

Napoli form (all competitions):

Team News

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Despite being forced off by a knock in Georgia’s recent UEFA Nations League game against Albania, it is expected that Napoli’s star man Khvicha Kvaratskhelia will be available to start on Sunday.

With Giacomo Raspadori likely to make way, the visitors’ attack should be led by Romelu Lukaku – who was rested by Belgium – with support from Kvaratskhelia and either David Neres or Matteo Politano. Lukaku has scored in all three of his away games against Cagliari, netting four times to date.

While Frank Anguissa and Stanislav Lobotka will still be teamed in central midfield, Antonio Conte can now call upon Scottish duo Billy Gilmour and McTominay, both of whom may make their debut as a substitute.

Meanwhile, Cagliari also have just one injury concern, as Matteo Prati could miss out due to an ankle issue; his absence would open the door for ex-Napoli man Gianluca Gaetano to feature in midfield. Gianluca Lapadula returned late from international duty with Peru but should still be named on the bench.

Up front, Roberto Piccoli is paired with Zito Luvumbo, who has been the Rossoblu’s most productive forward over the past year.

Since the start of last season, Luvumbo has been directly involved in the most Serie A goals (nine), taken the most total shots (56), had the most shots on target (17) and completed the most dribbles (35) for the Sardinian side. However, the last of his four league goals came back in February – incidentally, against Napoli at Unipol Domus.

Cagliari possible starting lineup:
Scuffet; Zappa, Mina, Luperto; Zortea, Gaetano, Marin, Deiola, Augello; Luvumbo, Piccoli

We say: Cagliari 1-1 Napoli

Even if Napoli are starting to take shape under the demanding management of Antonio Conte, their hosts are set to put up strong resistance and could hold out for a point.

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