Napoli have taken a firm hold on their Coppa Italia semi-final tie with a 1-0 away win at Inter during the week and they will be hoping to carry that momentum into the weekend as they look to desperately climb up the table in Serie A. Napoli are 11th on 30 points just four off the Europa League places but a whole 12 off Atalanta who occupy the final Champions League place. As for Cagliari they are 8th on 32 points currently ahead of Napoli.
The home side are above Napoli in the standings but they haven’t won a league game the 2nd of December. The top four teams in Serie A have pulled away from the rest of the league who have under achieved this season with Cagliari’s lofty position testament to that. The club from Sardegna have just one win from their last 10 league games and they are without a win at home in three. The hosts had drawn three straight league games but that succession of draws ended last weekend when they were beaten 1-0 away at Genoa. Defeat to Genoa and a draw with Brescia, two sides in the bottom three shows just how bad Cagliari have been recently and it should only be a matter of time before they slide down the table if they can’t get a win soon.
Napoli are going in the opposite direction and that is up, although in fairness before Christmas it couldn't have been going much worse. They have won four of their last five games with wins over Inter and Lazio in the cup, Juventus and Sampdoria in Serie A and they will have been disappointed to lose 3-2 last weekend at home to Lecce. Napoli have just 16 points from a possible 33 on the road in Serie A but they have won two of their last three matches away from home in the league and three of their last four in all with an impressive win at the San Siro in midweek.
Napoli have turned a corner in recent weeks and will be looking to climb the ranks in Serie A and with Cagliari in terrible form of late I see Napoli getting the win here. Cagliari will soon forget what it feels like to win a game and I think they will lose again here so back a victory for Napoli.