Sat. Aug 9th, 2025

Napoli Face Key Absences in Serie A Title-Deciding Match

As Napoli prepares for their final match of the 2024-25 Serie A season against Cagliari on Friday night, the team is expected to be without four first-team players. A victory at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona would secure Napoli`s second league title in three years.

Currently, Napoli holds a one-point lead over second-placed Inter going into the last round of fixtures. A win guarantees the Scudetto for Antonio Conte`s side, while a draw would leave them relying on Como to do them a favor against Inter in a simultaneous kick-off.

Key Player Updates

Stanislav Lobotka, a crucial midfielder who has started every available league game this season, is a major doubt. He hasn`t played since sustaining an ankle injury in the 2-2 draw with Genoa two weeks ago. Billy Gilmour is likely to deputize again if Lobotka is unavailable.

Italian international Alessandro Buongiorno is also expected to miss the Cagliari match, having been sidelined for the last three games with an adductor injury. The absence list further includes center-back Juan Jesus and Milan loanee Noah Okafor, who has seen limited playing time since joining in January.

Probable Napoli Starting XI

Given the injury situation, Conte is likely to field the same starting lineup that drew 0-0 with Parma in their previous match:

Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Olivera, Spinazzola; Politano, Anguissa, Gilmour, McTominay; Lukaku, Raspadori.

As Napoli aims to clinch the Serie A title, they`ll need to overcome these injury setbacks and secure a positive result against Cagliari in this crucial season finale.

By Vihaan Mehrotra

In the heart of Bangalore lives and works Vihaan Mehrotra, one of modern India's most insightful sports analysts. His childhood passion for cricket and field hockey evolved into a successful career. His daily column in Bangalore's digital media covers all significant world sporting events, from cricket matches to badminton tournaments. As a sports betting expert, he developed his own methodology for analyzing team statistics. His IPL match predictions are renowned for their 75% accuracy rate.

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