CorSport – Napoli make eight changes for Coppa Italia v Cagliari | OneFootball

CorSport – Napoli, a Revolution in the Coppa Italia: Eight Changes for the Clash with Cagliari

The December revolution. Right on time, a year later: eleven changes on December 5, 2024, in the round of 16 of the previous Coppa Italia edition against Lazio at the Olimpico, and eight today against Cagliari, in the knockout match scheduled at 6 PM at Maradona, which is crucial for the quarter-final qualification. Conte changes, changes a lot but not everything: the emergency, paradoxically, has also affected the rotations considering Marianucci's suspension. The defender, so far used only once at San Siro against Milan, would have made his second appearance but instead will be the seventh unavailable alongside Anguissa, De Bruyne, Gilmour, Gutierrez, Lukaku, and Meret. Bad luck for him, another obstacle for the coach. But the transformation will be equally profound in all departments, except for the system (3-4-2-1) and the goalkeeper: Milinkovic-Savic, an additional playmaker and penalty stopper, starting again. Then, a whirlwind and glimpses of youthful brilliance: the twenty-two-year-olds Antonio Vergara and Giuseppe Ambrosino, with 2 and 31 minutes played this season respectively, will play their third match as starters for Napoli. For both, products of the youth sector, it will be their first time ever.

Napoli welcomes the third competition with a brand-new outfit, in an old-style Maradona: over 47,000 spectators are expected at the stadium, who despite the time and weekday have embraced the cup cause. Cagliari, evidently, always evokes wonderful memories: the 2-0 victory on May 23, after all, secured the fourth championship. Today's match, however, will be the second encounter of the season after the one in August during the second league match: Pisacane's team organization, a Neapolitan from the Spanish Quarters, fell only in the 95th minute. The night of the round of 16 will mark Napoli's debut in the Coppa Italia and also another delicate stage of the marathon that, up to the Super Cup semi-final – on December 18 in Riyadh against Milan – will see Conte's team play five times in fifteen days, one every three days. A very congested schedule, with Juve and Benfica on the horizon in the league (Sunday) and in the Champions League (Wednesday), and necessary rotation.

Eight, as mentioned, the changes compared to the match at the Olimpico with Roma: Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Buongiorno, Neres, Lang, Hojlund, and especially Lobotka and McTominay, the only pure representatives in the squad of the protected species of midfielders, will start on the bench. The choices: Milinkovic confirmed in goal, Beukema and Olivera in the defensive trio completed by Juan Jesus; on the right, Mazzocchi's first start and on the left the return of Spinazzola, on the bench in Rome after missing four games due to injury; the versatile Elmas and Vergara forming a completely new midfield; Politano and the forward Ambrosino behind Lucca, in an equally innovative offensive trio. Politano will start again after three consecutive benches.

For the record: Napoli has won only one of the last eight matches played in the Coppa Italia, against Palermo in September 2024 in the round of 32. Conte was on the bench. Then, 3 draws and 4 defeats. No losses against Cagliari in the five previous Coppa Italia encounters since 1973: the last one during Diego's era in the semi-final, year 1987, near the first championship (two wins). Since 2009, moreover, Napoli has lost only one of the 29 matches played against Cagliari in all competitions (20 wins and 8 draws).

Carlo Gioia

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.