Cagliari vs Napoli – News and Probable Lineups

The Serie A champions, Napoli, aim to secure a top-four finish as they travel to Cagliari for the first of two Serie A matches on Friday night.

With their title defense nearly concluded, the Partenopei need to fend off several teams vying for a Champions League spot, and a fourth consecutive victory would certainly aid their cause.

Match overview

Currently ranked third in the Serie A table, Napoli has found themselves distanced from leaders Inter de Milão, shifting their focus towards clinching a Champions League berth for next season.

Antonio Conte’s squad has a six-point lead over fifth-placed Juventus with nine matches left, but AC Milan, Roma, and Como are also challenging for a top-four position.

Last week, the Scudetto holders bounced back from an early setback to secure a 2-1 victory over Lecce, with Rasmus Hojlund leveling the score before Matteo Politano ended his goal drought after 43 matches.

Having recorded three successive league wins for the first time this year – alongside several key players returning from injuries – Napoli appears to be regaining form, yet their away performance continues to be a worry for Conte.

Alongside a poor record during their travels in Europe, his team has suffered six Serie A losses away from home this season.

Nevertheless, history indicates that they should prevail in Cagliari this weekend: the Campanian side has not lost there in 14 league games since April 2009.

Including a last-minute loss in this season’s earlier fixture, Cagliari has endured 20 defeats and celebrated just one victory in the last 29 encounters against Napoli in the top tier.

While the Sardinian team managed a 1-1 draw with Napoli in the Coppa Italia match last December – ultimately losing in a thrilling penalty shootout – they have not earned any points or scored any goals in the last three Serie A games.

Additionally, Fabio Pisacane’s side has recently suffered two consecutive defeats: last week, they faced a disappointing 3-1 loss to Pisa, who had only secured one win all season and were reduced to 10 men before halftime.

With merely two points collected from the last 18 available, Cagliari is in a precarious position, having previously enjoyed a positive streak that brought them closer to safety.

Though the Rossoblu still hold some breathing room, a six-point gap with the relegation zone does not ensure that their top-flight status will extend to a fourth consecutive year.

Team News

Recently, Antonio Vergara, along with David Neres, Amir Rrahmani, and captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo, has joined Napoli’s extensive treatment roster, although Conte is optimistic about having both Juan Jesus and Stanislav Lobotka available for this match.

Scott McTominay and Kevin De Bruyne have recently rejoined the squad, while Frank Anguissa made his first start in over three months during the win against Lecce last week.

Romelu Lukaku has also returned to action, but he is expected to continue playing a secondary role behind the first-choice striker Hojlund.

The latter has netted two goals in his last three league fixtures – matching his total from the first ten appearances in 2026 – and now requires one more to establish a new personal best of 11 for a single season.

On the other hand, Cagliari will reinstate one of their leading attackers on Friday as Sebastiano Esposito returns from suspension.

Pisacane is required to alter the Rossoblu’s defense for this encounter against his hometown team, following Adam Obert’s late red card against Pisa, resulting in a one-match ban.

Riyad Idrissi, Gennaro Borrelli, Andrea Belotti, and Mattia Felici are still sidelined due to injuries, but Gianluca Gaetano, who hails from Naples, and Napoli-owned Michael Folorunsho are both anticipated to be fit to play.

Cagliari probable starting XI:

Caprile; Ze Pedro, Mina, Dossena; Palestra, Adopo, Gaetano, Folorunsho, Zapata; Esposito, Kilicsoy

Napoli probable starting XI:

Meret; Beukema, Good morning, Olivera; Politano, Gilmour, Anguissa, Spinazzola; McTominay, Alisson; Hojlund

Given their historical superiority and Cagliari’s notable decline, Napoli is likely to achieve four consecutive wins on Friday night.

This victory could elevate them back to second place in Serie A – at least temporarily – while putting pressure on the hosts.