The Matchday 2 Serie A clash between Napoli and Cagliari will take place on August 30 at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium. Napoli vs. Cagliari: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Napoli
Antonio Conte's side defeated Sassuolo away (2-0) in the previous round. As a result, Napoli extended their unbeaten run in the league to 13 matches (8 wins, 5 draws). Furthermore, the club kept a clean sheet in eight of these encounters. On the downside, the team has scored more than two goals only once in their last 18 Serie A matches. With three points, Napoli is among the leaders, trailing only Inter on goal difference.
- The team has not lost 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 last 10 home league games.
- Napoli has conceded in 6 of their last 9 home Serie A matches.
Predicted lineup for Napoli (4-5-1)
Alex Meret – Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Amir Rrahmani, Juan Jesus, Mathias Olivera – Matteo Politano, Kevin De Bruyne, Stanislav Lobotka, André-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Scott McTominay – Lorenzo Lucca.
Forward Romelu Lukaku is out long-term due to injury.
Cagliari
In the previous round, Fabio Pisacane's team drew 1-1 at home with Fiorentina, salvaging a point in the fourth minute of added time. However, Cagliari has failed to win in four of their last five Serie A matches (1 draw, 3 losses). The team has scored in 7 of their last 8 league games. With one point, Cagliari is in the middle of the standings.
Notably, before this round, striker Roberto Piccoli left the team for Fiorentina, while midfielder Marco Palestra joined Cagliari.
- The club has not won in 9 of their last 10 away Serie A matches (3 draws, 6 losses).
- No more than two goals have been scored in 7 of the last 10 away league games.
- At least one of the opponents failed to score in 6 of Cagliari's last 9 away Serie A matches.
Predicted lineup for Cagliari (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
Kevin Bonacina (Italy)
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%.
Napoli vs. Cagliari: Match Prediction
The reigning champions are confident at home, but Napoli does not take excessive risks and prefers to play safely. The team consistently wins at home, usually scoring no more than two goals: this has been the case in 14 of their last 15 home Serie A matches. Moreover, Napoli scored more than two goals only against Empoli, who were relegated to Serie B after last season.
Cagliari rarely achieves success away, but they put up a fight until the end. In 19 away matches last Serie A season, the team conceded more than two goals only twice, one of which was against Inter. Additionally, in the last six head-to-head meetings at Napoli's ground in the league, Cagliari conceded no more than two goals.
I believe Cagliari will perform well defensively and prevent the hosts from scoring too many. My prediction: Napoli Individual Total Under 2.5
