Napoli will want to get back to winning ways when they face Cagliari on Saturday night.
Having secured qualification for the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds, Italian champions SSC Napoli will seek to salvage their title defence when they take on Cagliari this Saturday.
Walter Mazzarri replaced Rudi Garcia as the boss in Naples. But apart from a win over Atalanta, Gli Azzurri have so far floundered in the league. Consecutive losses to Inter Milan and Juventus have been cruel blows for Napoli, who find themselves in the sixth spot.
With a 14-point gap now opening up between them and leaders Inter, one can assume that the champions would be glad to return to the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium. However, that is not the case as Napoli have secured just seven points at home this season, compared to 17 away from home. This differential is the poorest of any side in the top five European leagues.
On paper, Cagliari are the clear underdogs. However, having beaten Sassuolo last time around, they will be buzzing and will hope to add to Napoli’s woes on the night. Despite having won just one of their previous 24 clashes against the Partenopei in the league, there is no better time than now for Cagliari to make the trip.
Claudio Ranieri is a wily customer with much experience, and he could prove to be a thorn in Walter Mazzarri’s side on the night. Surely, it cannot get any worse for the reigning Scudetto holders. The Hard Tackle takes a look at how these two sides will line up and what tactics they might employ.
Team News & Tactics
SSC Napoli
The defending champions have surrendered their aura and now look as vulnerable as they have been in recent years. Walter Mazzarri has his work cut out to orchestrate a successful title defence. But a series of wins will bring them back into the reckoning for a top four finish.
Despite their current form, Napoli are clearly the better side on paper and will be expected to secure three points against Cagliari. As things stand, they have a fully-fit squad bar two absentees – Mathias Olivera and Mario Rui.
Napoli will be expected to continue with their 4-3-3 formation, with Alex Meret in goal behind the quartet of Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Amir Rrahmani, Juan Jesus and Natan.
Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Piotr Zielinksi will hope to get forward as Stanislav Lobotka will attempt to hold the fort in central midfield. The front three of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Victor Osimhen and Hirving Politano will hope to get back to their goalscoring ways and rekindle Napoli’s fearsome reputation as serial goalscorers.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Jesus, Natan; Anguissa, Lobotka, Zielinski; Politano, Osimhen, Kvaratskhelia
Cagliari Calcio
Much will have changed in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius as Claudio Ranieri returns to the club he called home after 31 years. There will be no love lost as the wily Italian will be keen to get one over his former side and put Cagliari in a better position to stave off relegation.
The late win over ten man Sassuolo last time around got the visitors out of the bottom three, but there is still work to be done. Despite the disparity in quality between both the teams, Cagliari could not have asked for a better time to face Napoli given the latter’s lack of confidence.
The visitors will be without the injured trio of Marko Rog, Elio Capradossi and Alessandro Di Pardo. The Isolani have an otherwise fully fit squad to choose from.
Cagliari are likely to set up in a 4-3-1-2 formation on Saturday. The system will be versatile enough to not just stack the midfield but also restructure to a 4-5-1 or a 4-4-1-1 or a 4-4-2 as needed.
Simone Scuffet should start in goal behind the back four of Gabriele Zappa, Edoardo Goldaniga, Alberto Dossena and Tommaso Augello. The trio of Nahitan Nandez, Antoine Makoumbou and Matteo Prati.
The trio will aim to give Nicolas Viola the foundation to build his playmaking ability on and cause havoc in the Napoli backline. Andrea Petagna and Zito Luvumbo should start upfront.
Probable Lineup (4-3-1-2): Scuffet; Zappa, Goldaniga, Dossena, Augello; Prati, Makoumbou, Nandez; Viola; Petagna, Luvumbo
Key Stats
- Cagliari have won just one of their last 24 Serie A games against Napoli, all the way back in 2019. A draw on Saturday will see Napoli and Cagliari draw two matches in a row in the top flight for the first time since the 2009/10 season.
- A stalemate will also see Napoli lose three Serie A games in a row for the first time since 2020.
- Failing to score on Saturday will see Napoli go three straight Serie A games without a goal for the first time since 2009.
- Failing to win will see Napoli go five home games without a win, their longest such run since 2019/20.
- Napoli have the largest negative difference between points earned at home and away games among the clubs in the top five European leagues.
- Cagliari have scored six times this season post the 85th minute. This is on level with AS Roma, making them the masters of causing late heartbreak for their opponents.
Player to Watch
Victor Osimhen
The Nigerian striker returned to action against Atalanta, finding the back of the net in a 2-1 win. However, he hs scored just once in the four games since across all competitions. It is no secret that the Napoli attack lacks bite in Osimhen’s absence. With Khvicha Kvaratskhelia also far from his best, the defending champions lack an infallible goal scorer in top form.
Osimhen continues to attract attention from several of Europe’s top sides and will want to keep up appearances. As long as he has a good day, the home team should come away with all three points.
Prediction
SSC Napoli 2-1 Cagliari Calcio
Nothing less than a win will do for Napoli, and they can take heart from the 2-0 win against Braga midweek in the UEFA Champions League. Victor Osimhen broke his four-match wait for a goal on the night, and the Italian giants will hope that their Nigerian marksman can now go on a scoring spree. While the game is unlikely to be one-sided, Napoli should have enough in their tank for a win.