Match Preview: Napoli vs Cagliari

The Serie A Matchday 2 fixture between Napoli and Cagliari is set to take place on August 30 at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium. This preview provides an in-depth prediction, including betting odds and key statistics for the Napoli vs Cagliari encounter, featuring new Cagliari player Marco Palestra.

Napoli

Napoli’s Recent Form and Standings

Antonio Conte’s squad secured a convincing 2-0 victory over Sassuolo in the previous round, playing on their opponent’s home turf. This result extended Napoli’s impressive unbeaten streak in the league to 13 matches, comprising 8 wins and 5 draws. Furthermore, the club managed to keep a clean sheet in eight of these encounters. However, a notable observation is that Napoli has only scored more than two goals in one of their last 18 Serie A fixtures. With three points, the Neapolitans currently stand among the league leaders, trailing only Inter Milan on goal difference.

Napoli’s Home Performance Highlights

• The team has remained undefeated in their last 11 home matches in Serie A (8 wins, 3 draws).
• Exactly 2 or 3 goals have been scored in 9 of the club’s last 10 home league games.
• The Neapolitans conceded goals in 6 of their last 9 home Serie A fixtures.

Napoli’s Probable Lineup (4-5-1)*

Alex Meret – Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Amir Rrahmani, Juan Jesus, Mathías Olivera – Matteo Politano, Kevin De Bruyne, Stanislav Lobotka, André-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Scott McTominay – Lorenzo Lucca.

Napoli Team News

Forward Romelu Lukaku is sidelined for an extended period due to injury.

Cagliari

Cagliari’s Recent Form and Standings

In the previous round, Fabio Pisacane’s side shared points with Fiorentina in a home match (1-1). Cagliari notably managed to salvage a draw in the fourth minute of added time in the second half. Nevertheless, the team has failed to secure a victory in four of their last five Serie A matches, recording 1 draw and 3 losses. Despite this, the club has found the net in 7 of their last 8 league outings. With one point, Cagliari currently sits in the middle of the league table.

Cagliari Team News

It’s worth noting that before this round, forward Roberto Piccoli departed the team, transferring to Fiorentina. Meanwhile, Cagliari strengthened their squad with midfielder Marco Palestra.

Cagliari’s Away Performance Highlights

• The club has not secured a win in 9 of their last 10 away Serie A matches (3 draws, 6 losses).
• No more than two goals were scored in 7 of the team’s last 10 away league games.
• At least one opponent failed to score in 6 of Cagliari’s last 9 away Serie A matches.

Cagliari’s Probable Lineup (3-5-2)*

Elia Caprile – Adam Obert, Yerry Mina, Sebastiano Luperto – Gabriele Zappa, Ndari Adopo, Matteo Prati, Michael Folorunsho, Alessandro Deiola – Gennaro Borrelli, Sebastiano Esposito.

Referee

Match Official: Kevin Bonacina

Kevin Bonacina (Italy)

Referee Statistics

Matches – 15 (Serie B, 2024/25);

Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 69;

Average yellow cards per match – 4.6;

Red cards shown – 3;

Average fouls per match – 32;

Penalties – 33%.

Match Prediction: Napoli vs Cagliari

Napoli’s Strategic Home Advantage

The reigning champions demonstrate strong confidence in their home fixtures, yet Napoli consistently opts for a cautious and reliable approach rather than taking excessive risks. While the team secures regular victories at home, they typically limit themselves to scoring two goals; this pattern has been observed in 14 of their last 15 Serie A matches played on their own turf. Furthermore, over this period, the Neapolitans only managed to score more than twice in a single match against Empoli, a team that was relegated to Serie B after the previous season.

Cagliari’s Resilient Away Defense

Cagliari rarely secures wins on the road, yet the team consistently strives to put up a strong resistance against opponents and battles until the final whistle. In their 19 away matches during the last Serie A season, the club conceded more than two goals on only two occasions, with one of these instances being an away game against Inter. Moreover, in their six most recent head-to-head encounters at Napoli’s home ground in the league, the Sardinians conceded a maximum of two goals.

Final Prediction

I anticipate that Cagliari will perform commendably in defense, preventing the home side from scoring too many goals. My prediction is: Napoli Individual Total Under 2.5 goals with odds of 1.52

Author: Dmitry Shchurko

* For each team, the starting lineup from their previous match in this tournament is indicated.