Serie A: Cagliari vs. Napoli – Confirmed line-ups and updates

Scott McTominay and Kevin De Bruyne finally start alongside each other in the Napoli midfield again as Antonio Conte’s side prepare to take on Cagliari away from home in Serie A on Friday evening. 

Napoli have won their last three matches in succession heading into Friday night’s tie, all by 2-1 margins against Hellas Verona, Torino and Lecce.

Their run of form has brought them within one point of the second-placed Milan, and Antonio Conte’s side will overtake the Rossoneri with a victory this evening. 

Cagliari, meanwhile, are without a win since the end of January, when they beat Verona 4-0, and have only picked up two points from their last six matches since then. They are currently in 15th place, six points above the relegation zone. 

Napoli are without Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Amir Rrahmani, Antonio Vergara and David Neres through injury, but Conte’s ‘fab 4’ of Scott McTominay, Kevin De Bruyne, Stanislav Lobotka and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa are finally all back and available for selection. 

McTominay, De Bruyne, Lobotka and Billy Gilmour are the chosen starters in midfield, supporting Rasmus Hojlund in the lone centre-forward role. Anguissa starts among the substitutes. 

Tonight’s game involves six players who have been called up to Gennaro Gattuso’s Italy national team squad for the World Cup play-offs coming up at the end of the month. Cagliari’s Elia Caprile and Marco Palestra are among the national team inclusions, as well as Alessandro Buongiorno, Leonardo Spinazzola, Matteo Politano and Alex Meret from the Napoli camp. 

Kick-off this evening is due at 17.30 GMT. 

Cagliari vs. Napoli: Confirmed line-ups 

Cagliari (4-3-3): Caprile; Zé Pedro, Mina, Dossena, Rodriguez; Adopo, Gaetano, Sulemana; Palestra, Folorunsho, Esposito. 

Napoli (3-4-2-1): Milinkovic-Savic; Beukema, Buongiorno, Olivera; Politano, Gilmour, Lobotka, Gutierrez; De Bruyne, McTominay; Højlund.