Napoli vs Cagliari

As Friday night’s decisive Serie A clash approaches, Napoli stands on the brink of history. A victory over Cagliari at home would secure the club’s fourth league title, moving them clear of Inter Milan in a nail-biting race for the Scudetto.

With just one point separating the top two, the championship remains fiercely contested. Inter, facing Como in a simultaneous match, could still force a playoff if results swing their way. This adds high-stakes drama to the final round, as Napoli aims to cement their status as the most successful southern Italian club, surpassing Roma with a fourth crown. Their previous titles came in 1986–87, 1989–90, and most recently under Luciano Spalletti in 2022–23.

Last week’s penultimate fixtures delivered twists that kept fans on edge. Napoli stumbled in a gritty 0-0 draw at relegation-threatened Parma, hitting the woodwork twice through Frank Anguissa and Matteo Politano. Meanwhile, Inter squandered two leads against Lazio at San Siro, with VAR decisions sparking controversy. Despite these setbacks, Napoli’s resilient form—four wins and two draws in their last six matches, conceding only twice—has kept them narrowly ahead.

Under Antonio Conte, who seeks a historic third Serie A title with three different clubs (having previously triumphed with Juventus and Inter), Napoli’s campaign has been far from flawless. Critics point to their low points tally, on track to be the lowest for a champion since Juventus in 1994–95. Yet Conte defends his team’s grit, arguing their success deserves recognition amid a turbulent season marked by reported tensions between the coach and president Aurelio De Laurentiis.

The equation is simple: A Napoli win seals glory. Should they lose and Inter draw, an unprecedented playoff would decide the title next Monday. For now, the Partenopei control their fate, with history beckoning at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

Devoid of their previous standout players Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Napoli are on the verge of making history in a 20-team Serie A season, potentially becoming the first team to claim the championship after finishing as low as 10th the prior year. This would surpass the record set by their current manager with Juventus in 2011-12, when they won the title after a seventh-place finish.

Despite Napoli's relatively modest tally of 57 goals this season—well below the typical benchmark for champions—their key striker, Romelu Lukaku, will likely relish facing Cagliari. In his first start for Napoli during the reverse fixture in September, Lukaku scored and provided two assists in a commanding 4-0 victory.

Napoli’s strong record against Cagliari at Stadio Maradona, where they’ve won nine of their last 12 league encounters while averaging 2.5 goals per game, suggests they could ignite celebrations across Naples on Friday night.

Cagliari, meanwhile, face the challenge of derailing Napoli’s title aspirations in their final match of a fairly successful campaign. Their recent 3-0 victory over relegation-threatened Venezia, sparked by Roberto Piccoli’s 10th Serie A goal, secured their top-flight status with a game to spare.

Matching last season’s points total of 36, when Claudio Ranieri steered them to safety upon their Serie A return, Cagliari are poised to finish 14th, unless Hellas Verona’s result overtakes them. However, with only three away wins all season and possibly a relaxed mindset, Davide Nicola’s squad might struggle to halt Napoli’s momentum.

That said, Napoli have recently stumbled against lower-ranked teams like Venezia, Genoa, and Parma, which could give an unburdened Cagliari hope of pulling off an upset.