Stadio Diego Armando Maradona sets the stage for a ‘David vs Goliath’ Serie A clash between Napoli and Cremonese. Friday’s fixture could officially extinguish the home side’s title hopes, while the visitors cannot afford a slip-up if they’re to keep their heads above water.
Antonio Conte’s hopes of leading Napoli to back-to-back Serie A titles for the first time in the club’s history are all but gone. Indeed, the reigning champions trail runaway leaders Inter by a whopping 12 points, with only five games left until the end of the season.
Anything other than a victory here would allow the Nerazzurri to lift the trophy on Sunday. Nevertheless, it’s likely to only postpone the inevitable. Napoli will still look to return to winning ways after going winless in two consecutive league outings, including a frustrating 2-0 home defeat to mid-table strugglers Lazio last weekend.
On the other hand, Cremonese sit narrowly clear of the bottom three despite picking up just a single point from their last three league games, courtesy of a scoreless home draw against Torino. Marco Giamapolo’s charges head into proceedings level on points with 18th-placed Lecce but are ahead by virtue of a superior head-to-head record.
Needless to say, a defeat in Naples would enable the Giallorossi to overtake them in the standings, especially considering they face relegation-bound Hellas Verona tomorrow. With that in mind, the visitors will be keen to defy the odds tonight and keep their faltering pursuit of Serie A survival alive.
Napoli
In addition to shattering Napoli’s unbeaten home league record this season (W11, D4), Lazio have exposed the Partenopei to the risk of losing back-to-back Serie A matches for the first time since December 2023. However, Conte’s men have recently reigned supreme in this fixture.
December’s comfortable 2-0 triumph at Stadio Giovanni Zini extended their winning streak against Cremonese to four matches in all competitions. Furthermore, Napoli emerged victorious from the last three league meetings between the sides, with each victory coming by multi-goal margins.
It’s also worth noting that Napoli had won three successive home league games before losing to Lazio. Still, with all three wins yielding a single-goal margin, it’s fair to say that they’ve been far from their dominant best at the Maradona Stadium.
Nonetheless, another win would all but seal Napoli’s top-four finish, as they already boast a handsome eight-point lead over fifth-placed Como.
Cremonese
Eager to avoid an immediate return to Serie B, Cremonese must find a way to overcome a full-blown crisis. Indeed, they have won just one of their last 19 matches (D5, L13), though that solitary triumph came under new manager Giampaolo (W1, D1, L2).
With Lecce keen to pounce on their potential slip-up, La Cremo must defy their unimpressive away record against sides starting this round in the top seven. They’ve claimed just four points from six such fixtures this season (W1, D1, L4), highlighting the size of the task awaiting Giampaolo’s lads today.
Adding to this sentiment, Cremonese’s last top-flight win over Napoli came all the way back in September 1994. Moreover, they’ve failed to beat the Partenopei away from home in all 12 previous encounters across either Serie A or Serie B (D2, L10).
It’s virtually impossible to imagine Cremonese turning their fortunes around now, given that they’ve lost seven of their eight away league games since the start of the calendar year (W1).
Napoli welcomed starting center-back Amir Rrahmani back to the bench last weekend after a seven-game absence. However, Conte is still unable to call upon his captain, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, and star striker Romelu Lukaku. Quicksilver forward David Neres and emerging talent Antonio Vergara are also unavailable for selection, with Kevin De Bruyne and Scott McTominay expected to start behind Rasmus Hojlund.
As for Cremonese, veteran goal-getter Jamie Vardy remains on the sidelines with a muscle injury. Antonio Sanabria is likely to lead the line alongside Federico Bonazzoli in the Englishman’s absence. Meanwhile, Michele Collocolo won’t return before the start of next month, with Faris Moumbagna and Morten Thorsby facing minor fitness problems.
Napoli (3-4-2-1): Milinkovic-Savic; Rrahmani, Buongiorno, Olivera; Politano, Anguissa, Lobotka, Spinazzola; De Bruyne, McTominay; Hojlund.
Cremonese (4-4-2): Audero; Terracciano, Baschirotto, Luperto, Pezzella; Zerbin, Grassi, Maleh, Vandeputte; Bonazzoli, Sanabria.
Despite being on the verge of surrendering the Scudetto to Inter, Napoli should still bow out in style. Conte’s charges boast far superior quality and a dominant recent record in this fixture, which should see them claim a routine victory and keep their top-four push firmly on track.
Prediction: Napoli to Win
