The Serie A title race has gone down to the wire. While Napoli hold a narrow lead at the top, their recent dip in form has given Inter Milan hope of spoiling the party.
Antonio Conte’s team have accumulated 79 points in their 37 outings with 23 wins and 10 draws. Despite losing players like Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, the team in blue have managed to compete at the highest level and are in pole position to secure the league title.
The Partenopei could have sealed the title by now but back-to-back draws in their last two outings have kept Inter Milan’s hopes alive. While Antonio Conte’s men did dominate the proceedings against Parma last time out, they were not clinical enough in the final third. Napoli will have to do much better to ensure they do not allow Inter a chance to snatch the title on the final matchday.
Meanwhile, the visitors are 14th on the table with 36 points in their 37 outings. They have managed nine wins all season long and have ensured safety with a game to go. They will certainly be happy with how things have panned out so far.
Having secured a 3-0 win over Venezia in their last outing, the visitors will be eager to end the season on a high by taking down one of the most in-form teams in the division. They would certainly love to be the party spoilers but it surely won’t be that straightforward.
While a win guarantees Napoli the title, any other result will open the door for Inter Milan, who haven’t been at their best in the final weeks of the season. With both clubs playing their fixtures simultaneously, the title race is expected to come to an end on Friday night, but it could be pushed back by a couple of days in case Simone Inzaghi’s men play out a draw against Como and Napoli lose to Cagliari.
In that situation, the title will be decided by a playoff next Monday. The Hard Tackle takes a look at how both sides could line up and what tactics they might deploy.
Stanislav Lobotka and Alessandro Buongiorno are both pushing hard to back in time for this fixture, but it is still not certain if they will be fit enough to start here. Meanwhile, Juan Jesus is back in the mix and ready to start here.
Antonio Conte will stick to the 4-4-2 formation, where Alex Meret will be in goal. Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Leonardo Spinazzola should be the full-backs. In the heart of the defence, Amir Rrahmani will continue to partner with makeshift centre-back Mathias Olivera if Buongiorno is not back in time.
In the centre of the park, Matteo Politano and Scott McTominay will feature out wide on the flanks. Meanwhile, Billy Gilmour should partner with Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa in a more central role.
The quartet will not only shield the backline, they will ensure that they dominate the ball and provide their forwards with enough opportunities to kill the game. Finally, Giacomo Raspadori will be joined by the in-form Romelu Lukaku, who has contributed to nine goals at home this year, more than any other player in Serie A.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Olivera, Spinazzola; Politano, Anguissa, Gilmour, McTominay; Raspadori, Lukaku
The visitors will be without the services of Zito Luvumbo and Gianluca Gaetano. Meanwhile, they do have a boost as Leonardo Pavoletti is back available after serving a suspension last time out.
Cagliari are expected to stick with their 3-5-1-1 setup, with Elia Caprile, on loan from Napoli, set to start in goal against his parent club. They are unlikely to make too many changes to the XI that started in their last outing.
Gabriele Zappa, Yerry Mina, and Sebastiano Luperto will continue to feature in the heart of the defence. They will look to keep things tight against one of the best attacks in the competition.
The trio will receive significant support from Nadir Zortea and Tommaso Augello, who will feature as the wingbacks. In the centre of the park, Michel Ndary Adopo, Antoine Makoumbou, and Alessandro Deiola will look to ensure Napoli midfielders do not enjoy easy possession.
Nicolas Viola could come into the XI for this fixture and start just behind Roberto Piccoli, who bagged his 10th league goal of the season in their last outing.
Probable Lineup (3-5-1-1): Caprile; Zappa, Mina, Luperto; Zortea, Deiola, Makoumbou, Adopo, Augello; Viola; Piccoli
McTominay will certainly go down as one of the best signings the club has made in recent seasons. The Italian outfit managed to secure the Scottish midfielder’s services for a cut-price fee from Manchester United, and he certainly had a massive impact on their run.
The Scot has been involved in a total of 33 league fixtures, and he has contributed towards 17 goals (11 goals, 6 assists). While the majority of his appearances have come as a central midfielder, Conte has given him the luxury to go up and showcase his prowess in the final third.
Given the kind of form he has been in, the 28-year-old can certainly have a big say on the result of this fixture. Since there is a lot at stake, Conte will hope the Scottish international comes good yet again.
Napoli head into the final matchday with everything to play for, and with the title within touching distance, Antonio Conte’s men are unlikely to let this opportunity slip. Despite a recent dip in form, the Naples-based club will be favourites to win as they remain a formidable force at home.
More importantly, they will be backed by a passionate crowd urging them to get over the line. With Romelu Lukaku in fine form and Scott McTominay delivering consistently, the home team should have enough firepower and composure to go past Cagliari.
The visitors, on the other hand, have already secured safety and will be playing without any pressure. While they could try to frustrate Napoli and play the role of party spoilers, their poor away form and defensive vulnerabilities are likely to be exposed by a team that is playing for the silverware.
With both the quality and motivation tipping heavily in Napoli’s favour, a comfortable home win looks the most likely outcome given they had secured a 4-0 win in the reverse fixture back in September last year. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-0 win for Napoli, which will lead them to their fourth Serie A title.
