Napoli got off to a great start this season with a 3-0-1 record. Although they had an unfortunate loss in their second game against Juventus, the Partenopei have rebounded very strongly. Their last two results have been sgood wins versus Sampdoria and Lecce, winning 2-0 and 4-1, respectively. In their recent match against Lecce, newcomer Fernando Llorente scored his first goal with the club and finished with two goals in the game. The forward has been a great acquisition as he’s played a strong role up front in the early season for Napoli.
Cagliari has also won two straight after losing their first two games at home to start the season. Their season didn’t start well as their performances were poor in their home losses. However, Cagliari has been able to turn their season around and has shown two quality starts in their last two games. Their recent match against Genoa had the Rossoblu dictate most of the match with Giovanni Simeone and Joao Pedro both scoring and displaying a strong game. Although they played Parma and most recently Genoa, their next match will not be as easy. The Rossoblu will need to be mentally prepared against the Napoli squad which has been very strong this season.
Predicted Line Up
Napoli (4-4-2): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Maksimovic, Koulibaly, Mario Rui; Callejon, Allan, Fabian Ruiz, Insigne; Llorente, Mertens
Cagliari (4-3-3): Olsen; Pinna, Ceppitelli, Klavan, Lykogiannis; Nandez, Rog, Ionita; Birsa, Simeone, Joao Pedro
Injuries and Suspensions
Napoli
Doubtful: Tonelli (Injured), Manolo (Injured), Allan (Illness), Younes (Injured)
Cagliari
Unavailable: Farago (Injured), Pavoletti (Injured), Cragno (Injured, Nainggolan (Injured)
Doubtful: Cigarini (Injured), Ragatzu (Injured)
Key Clashes
Striker Giovanni Simeone has had a strong start to the season with Cagliari, after coming over on loan from Fiorentina. The 24-year-old has scored two goals in four games this season and helped Cagliari by scoring the winning goal in their recent match against Genoa. The forward has been a great addition as he’s been a strength up front and has helped the offense.
Dries Mertens should be expected to return to the squad against Cagliari after being unused in their recent match against Lecce. The striker also had a strong start to the Serie A season scoring three goals in three games. When inserted into the line up for Napoli, the forward has been effective, creating scoring chances while also finding the back of the net.