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2025-26 Italian Serie A
Matchday 2
Napoli v Cagliari
Stadio Diego Armando Maradona
Naples, Italy
Saturday, 30 August 2025
Kick-off is at 20h45 CAT
Napoli will be looking to make it two wins from two at the start of the new
Serie A season when they welcome Cagliari to the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Saturday, August 30.
The Partenopei kicked off their title defence with a 2-0 victory over newly-promoted Sassuolo on August 23, with Scott McTominay and Kevin De Bruyne getting on the scoresheet.
Antonio Conte won the Scudetto in his debut season in Naples after his team pipped Inter Milan to top spot by one point on the final day of the 2024-25 campaign.
The Sardinians parted ways with Davide Nicola after narrowly avoiding relegation last term and brought in Fabio Pisacane as his replacement.
Nicola's last game in charge was a 2-0 defeat to Napoli which handed them the title, having also overseen a heavy 4-0 loss at the Unipol Domus in the reverse fixture on September 15.
Pisacane began his tenure with a 1-1 draw against Fiorentina on August 24 which saw Sebastiano Luperto score a 94th-minute equaliser after Rolando Mandragora had opened the scoring on 68 minutes.
Pisacane is confident that Cagliari will improve this season after seeing his players fight until the very end to deny La Viola victory on the opening weekend.
"I saw a team that tried to undermine a Fiorentina team built to play a high-level championship, a Cagliari team that covered the passing lanes well with [Matteo] Prati's work in front of the defense," the Italian said.
"I have to rewatch the game, but I think we saw a Cagliari team that did what they had to for the entire 90-plus minutes. We never gave up, playing a spirited and cohesive first half, and a second where we didn't disintegrate when going behind.
"We know the championship we have ahead of us, but with humility and courage we can achieve some success."
Conte hailed the mentality of his players to continue where they left off in May, although he is still searching for the best system to accommodate new signing De Bruyne.
"We went into the match with the right mentality and the spirit we needed to win this opening game. We set out our intentions from the start and that's the most positive aspect," the Italian said.
"The main change from last year is the addition of De Bruyne and we're trying out different things to find the best way to fit Kevin in with the three midfielders who were key to our Scudetto triumph last year.
"We have to do that without upsetting our balance or losing our strength. Our focus and dedication are unchanged from last season. It's a good start but we mustn't forget that the road ahead is long."
Head-to-Head (Last Five Serie A Meetings)
Matches - 5
Napoli wins - 3
Cagliari wins - 0
Draws - 2
Serie A Matchday 2 fixtures:
Friday, August 29
18h30: Cremonese v Sassuolo
20h45: Lecce v AC Milan
Saturday, August 30
18h30: Bologna v Como
18h30: Parma v Atalanta
20h45: Napoli v Cagliari
20h45: Pisa v Roma
Sunday, August 31
18h30: Genoa v Juventus
18h30: Torino v Fiorentina
20h45: Inter Milan v Udinese
20h45: Lazio v Verona
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