Napoli are aiming to maintain their good form as they travel to Cagliari for a Serie A fixture on Saturday. Partenopei have impressed in recent weeks and should have too much for Cagliari, who are still seeking their first win of the season.
Cagliari have found things difficult in the early stages of the season as they are still seeking their first win. Davide Nicola's men have lost once and played out two draws from their opening three matches.
After battling to stalemates in their opening two matches, Cagliari suffered a 1-0 defeat to Lecce in their previous fixture. The major problem for the hosts is a lack of cutting edge in attack as they have found the net just once in three matches.
Napoli travel to Unipol Domus off the back of a 2-1 victory over Parma last time out in Serie A. They fought back from a goal down with late efforts from Romelu Lukaku and Franck Zambo Anguissa earning them all three points.
Having begun with a disappointing defeat to Verona in their opening fixture, Napoli appear to have turned a corner, winning their last two matches. Manager Antonio Conte will be particularly pleased with Lukaku’s performance as he found the net in his first appearance.
How the bookies view it: Napoli to triumph
The bookies have installed Napoli as overwhelming favourites, with a win priced at 5/6 by Betfred. Cagliari are considered outsiders at home at 16/5 while Betfred is also offering odds of 11/4 for a draw.
Head to head: History favours visitors
Napoli have a 22-7 advantage with 17 draws from 46 previous matches against Cagliari. The Neapolitans were unbeaten last season, claiming a 2-1 victory at home before playing out a 1-1 draw at Unipol Domus.
Players to watch: Lukaku to strike again
Lukaku wasted no time underlining his arrival in Naples with a goal on his first appearance. The Belgian striker will be the one to watch for Napoli on Sunday and is priced at 13/8 with Betfred.
With Napoli not particularly convincing at the back, Cagliari will be looking to take advantage. Roberto Piccoli has scored the visitors’ only Serie A goal this season and is priced at 3/1 by Betfred to find the bet on Sunday.
Probable line-ups
Cagliari will be without midfielder Matteo Prati, who picked up an injury last time out. Luciano Pavoletti is pushing to start after making a second half appearance at Lecce while Piccoli should also feature in attack.
Lukaku is likely to be handed a start on Saturday after impressing off the bench in his first appearance. He is likely to be supported by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Matteo Politano while Amir Rrahmani should continue at the back.
Cagliari: Scuffet, Luperto, Mina, Zappa, Azzi, Marin, Viola, Deiola, Augello, Piccoli, Pavoletti
Napoli: Meret, Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Buongiorno, Mazzocchi, Anguissa, Lobotka, Olivera, Politano, Kvaratskhelia, Lukaku
Anything else catch the eye?
Cagliari and Napoli have both been on target in the last three meetings, so teams could be backed to score at 8/11 by Betfred. The Neapolitans saw over 2.5 goals in their last fixture and a repeat is priced at 4/5 by Betfred, who is also offering 2/1 for over 3.5 goals.
There have been second half goals for both teams in the last three meetings and a repeat is priced at 7/4 with Betfred.
This Serie A match between Cagliari and Napoli will be played on Sep 15, 2024 and kick off at 17:00. Check below for our tipsters best Cagliari vs Napoli prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
