Preview: Napoli vs. Cremonese - prediction, team news, lineups

Aware that they could surrender their Serie A title in gameweek 35, Napoli host relegation-threatened Cremonese at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium on Friday, aiming to delay Inter Milan’s expected coronation for one more weekend.

Antonio Conte’s men had made the Scudetto race interesting with five consecutive league victories, only to drop the ball in successive rounds, leaving them 12 points adrift with five games to play.

Match preview

Nothing seemed more ill-timed than Napoli’s performance and result in last weekend’s 2-0 loss to a Lazio side managed by former boss Maurizio Sarri.

The Partenopei were unbeaten in the league at the Maradona all season, only to save possibly their worst display for the visit of the capital club, against whom they failed to register a shot on target.

Booed off by their fans, Conte’s team have now fallen 12 points behind Inter with five matches remaining, and it now seems a matter of when, not if, the Nerazzurri claim another Scudetto crown.

Having reeled off five consecutive wins to make the run-in interesting, taking one point from six now leaves the Azzurri fighting for second spot, with AC Milan level on 66 points and Juventus just three adrift.

With Leonardo Spinazzola admitting that the team lacked “mental energy” in the Lazio defeat, it will be interesting to see whether Conte’s men respond against a struggling Cremonese side in Campania.

Marco Giampaolo takes the Violini to the Maradona this weekend aware of the historical disadvantage the Lombardy outfit face against their hosts from Naples.

The visitors have not beaten Napoli in Serie A in 32 years, since a 2-0 win over the Partenopei in Lombardy in 1994, while they have no wins on record against the hosts in Campania.

Given the away side’s precarious situation heading into gameweek 34, anything but maximum points on Friday leaves La Cremo at risk of sliding into the relegation zone after the imminent round of fixtures.

Cremonese are level on 28 points with 18th-placed Lecce, who visit second-bottom Hellas Verona, highlighting the need to end a three-match winless sequence, two of which have been defeats.

However, a positive result will require Giampaolo’s men to improve on a dismal away record that has seen them lose four of their last five on the road — 10 overall — with only Lecce (11) having suffered more away-day setbacks.

Napoli Serie A form:

Cremonese Serie A form:

Team News

While Conte’s side did not seem to suffer any injury problems in the Lazio defeat, they remain without Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Romelu Lukaku, David Neres and Antonio Vergara for this weekend.

Even though Rasmus Hojlund and Scott McTominay have 18 goals between them, six of Hojlund’s goals have come away from home, while McTominay’s two goals in Naples highlight his superior returns on home soil.

Despite the half-time substitutions of Frank Anguissa and Kevin De Bruyne, both men are expected to keep their places in the side for Friday’s visit of Cremonese.

Youssef Maleh and Jari Vandeputte scored the goals in Cremonese’s first away win since December, and the travelling supporters will hope for another positive trip on Friday.

Federico Bonazzoli, though, remains the club’s leading marksman this term, even if the forward has not scored from open play since the March 8 loss at Lecce.

The Violini look set to navigate this weekend’s match without Jamie Vardy, Martin Thorsby, Faris Moumbagna and Michele Collocolo.

Napoli possible starting lineup:

Milinkovic-Savic; Beukema, Buongiorno, Olivera; Politano, Anguissa, Spinazzola; De Bruyne, McTominay; Hojlund

Cremonese possible starting lineup:

Audero; Terracciano, Baschirotto, Luperto, Pezzella; Mussolini, Bondo, Grassi, Vandeputte; Bonazzoli, Sanabria