Napoli vs Cagliari: Serie A title preview – chance of Inter Milan playoff | Football News
Napoli will wrap up the last major European league title still to be decided on Friday, if they beat Cagliari in the final game of the season.
Champions League finalists and defending Serie A champions Inter Milan are just a point behind the league leaders, however, so any slip-up could see a dramatic finale to the Italian season – including a playoff between the top two.
Al Jazeera Sport takes a closer look at the last major league title outstanding on the world’s premier footballing continent.
What do Napoli need to secure the title?
The league leaders’ equation is quite straightforward – beat Cagliari and the Serie A title is heading to Naples once again.
A draw would not be enough, however, should Inter Milan win at Como.
For Inter, who will face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final on May 31, a draw would be enough to set up a playoff with Napoli for the title.
Where would the playoff be staged?
The Serie A rules dictate that the team with the better head-to-head between the top two will stage the tie. If that scenario is not decisive, the team with the superior goal difference will play host.
Both league encounters ended in 1-1 draws this season. Inter’s goal difference is 12 better than Napoli’s, so the former would host the match at their San Siro Stadium.
Why are the teams playing on Friday and when would the playoff be held?
Napoli and Inter’s matches have been scheduled for Friday to give Inter adequate time to prepare for the Champions League final, even in the unlikely event that the two teams finish level on points and leave the title to be decided by a playoff on Monday.
The threat of a playoff has complicated the season finale, in particular for Inter, whose showdown with Paris Saint-Germain in Munich is now the priority with their league title defence as good as over.
An eventual playoff had originally been scheduled for next week, but that is now untenable for Inter and for Serie A, a league which hasn’t had a European champion since Jose Mourinho guided the Milan-based giants to the treble 15 years ago.
The league had earmarked Thursday as the new date for Napoli and Inter’s matches so that a playoff could be scheduled for the weekend, but Napoli and broadcaster DAZN were reportedly against the idea, and that led to the choice of Friday for their final league matches and Monday for any playoff.
Inter have the harder task on Friday as Como have taken 20 points from their last eight fixtures and are on course to finish 10th, their highest placing since ninth – albeit in a 16-team league – in 1986.
Cagliari, who are 14th in the table, have only won nine of their 37 matches this season but are comfortably five points clear of the relegation zone heading into the final round.
What would victory mean for Napoli and their coach?
Antonio Conte is on the verge of making history in his first season in charge of Napoli.
The Italian former international would become the first coach to win Serie A with three different teams if he holds aloft the trophy once more on Friday.
“We have our teeth into it and we mustn’t let go,” Conte said.
The 55-year-old has already won four Italian leagues. He led Juventus to the first three of its nine successive Serie A titles in each of his three seasons in charge from 2011-14, and won it with Inter in 2021.
In between them, he bagged a Premier League title with Chelsea in 2017.
The #SerieA standings with one game to go! 🍿 pic.twitter.com/smR4D5O9Ce
— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) May 18, 2025
While a handful of coaches have won Serie A with two teams, no one has ever done it with three – although there is a significant asterisk.
Fabio Cappello lifted league trophies with AC Milan (four times) and Roma before steering Juventus to back-to-back triumphs in 2005 and 2006, but the Bianconeri were stripped of both of those titles because of the Calciopoli refereeing scandal.
That also saw Juventus demoted to the second division and its glory days were long behind it when Conte took over and immediately renewed its dominance of Italian football.
Conte also ended an 11-year title drought at Inter.
Napoli has not had as long a wait, having won Serie A in 2023, but reclaiming it would be arguably one of Conte’s biggest achievements.
How did Napoli lose their crown last season?
Conte inherited a team that was coming off a terrible season, having put up one of the worst title defences in history, finishing 10th and churning through three coaches.
Key players departed, including Victor Osimhen, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Kim Min-jae.
But Conte has worked his scudetto-winning magic and has transformed Napoli from Serie A has-been back to potential title winner.
“I sincerely hope to be able to celebrate this championship because it would be something beautiful, also because of the energy I have spent,” Conte said.
“It would repay me for everything I have put into it this year. I went beyond my limits. I’m very tired, I’m only just managing to get to the end.”
When did Napoli last dominate Serie A?
The city of Naples is fizzing with excitement at the prospect of a second title in three years.
That’s an even shorter span than the two championships in four seasons with legendary Argentina forward Diego Maradona in 1987 and 1990.
Those were the club’s only Serie A triumphs before their recent revival. Their record is in stark contrast with the record 36 titles claimed by Juventus.
Inter Milan have won 20 Serie A titles – one more than their cross-city rivals, AC Milan.
What happened in the last round of Serie A matches?
In a dramatic twist on the field – or rather in the technical area – neither Conte nor his Inter counterpart Simone Inzaghi will be in their respective dugouts on Friday, after both were sent off in a tempestuous penultimate round of matches that ended with Napoli and Inter drawing.
Inzaghi was enraged at the penalty from which Lazio’s Pedro equalised for the second time on Sunday, a 90th-minute spot-kick netted following a Yann Bisseck handball – angering Inter to such an extent that no one spoke to the media after the 2-2 draw at the San Siro.
Meanwhile, Conte nearly came to blows with Parma’s assistant manager, Antonio Gagliardi, Conte’s match analyst with the Italian national team a decade ago, in the final moments at Parma, just as Napoli fans were celebrating Pedro’s spot-kick.
Former Spain international Pedro became an instant hero in Naples as the 37-year-old’s 14th goal of the season kept Napoli top of the division heading into the final weekend.
What time do Napoli and Inter’s games kick off?
Both teams will kick off at the same time on Friday – 8:45pm (18:45 GMT).
Who are the major European league winners?
- England – Liverpool
- Spain – Barcelona
- Germany – Bayern Munich
- France – Paris Saint-Germain
