Preview: Cagliari vs Napoli - prediction, team news, lineups

Continuing their quest to seal a top-four finish, Serie A champions Napoli will visit Cagliari in the first of two Serie A fixtures on Friday evening.

With their Scudetto defence all but over, the Partenopei must stay ahead of several Champions League chasers, and a fourth straight win would certainly help.

Match preview

Occupying third place in the Serie A standings, Napoli have been left behind by distant leaders Inter Milan, so their focus has switched to reaching next season's Champions League.

Antonio Conte's side hold a six-point advantage over fifth-placed Juventus with nine rounds remaining, but AC Milan, Roma and Como are also in the fight for a top-four finish.

Last week, the Scudetto holders overcame an early setback to beat Lecce 2-1, with Rasmus Hojlund hauling them level before Matteo Politano finally ended his goal drought after 43 matches.

Having posted three consecutive league wins for the first time this year - and with several senior players returning from injury - Napoli may be getting back to their best, but away form remains a concern for Conte.

In addition to a dismal record on their travels around Europe, his team have already lost six Serie A fixtures on the road this term.

Yet, history suggests they should win in Cagliari this weekend: the Campanian club have gone 14 league games without losing there since April 2009.

Including a last-gasp defeat in this season's reverse fixture, Cagliari have lost 20 and won just one of the last 29 top-flight meetings between these two clubs.

While the Sardinian side held Napoli to a 1-1 draw in December's Coppa Italia tie - subsequently losing an epic penalty shootout - they have taken no points and recorded no goals from the last three Serie A contests.

Furthermore, Fabio Pisacane's men have recently lost their last two matches: last week, they suffered a disappointing 3-1 defeat to Pisa, who had won just once all season and were reduced to 10 men before the break.

Having claimed just two points from the last 18 available, Cagliari remain in some danger, after a positive run had previously taken them within touching distance of safety.

While the Rossoblu still have some breathing space, a six-point gap to the drop zone provides no guarantee of extending their latest stint in the top flight to its fourth straight year.

Cagliari Serie A form:

L L D D L L

Napoli Serie A form:

W D L W W W

Napoli form (all competitions):

L D L W W W

Team News

Although Antonio Vergara recently limped through the revolving door of Napoli's busy treatment room - joining David Neres, Amir Rrahmani and captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo on the sidelines - Conte hopes to have both Juan Jesus and Stanislav Lobotka available.

Scott McTominay and Kevin De Bruyne have recently returned to the squad, while Frank Anguissa made his first start for more than three months in last week's win over Lecce.

Romelu Lukaku has been back in action a little longer, but he should continue to play a reserve role to first-choice striker Hojlund.

The latter has scored two goals in his last three league matches - as many as across his first 10 in 2026 - and now needs one more to set a new career best of 11 for a single season.

Meanwhile, Cagliari will welcome back one of their top attackers on Friday, as Sebastiano Esposito served a suspension last time out.

Pisacane must reshuffle the Rossoblu's defence for this clash against his hometown club, after Adam Obert received a late red card against Pisa and incurred a one-match ban.

Riyad Idrissi, Gennaro Borrelli, Andrea Belotti and Mattia Felici are still injured, but Naples-born Gianluca Gaetano and Napoli-owned Michael Folorunsho should both be fit to start.

Cagliari possible starting lineup:

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

Napoli possible starting lineup:

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