Antonio Conte expressed his desire to see out the remainder of his contract at Napoli amid suggestions he was considering his future at the club. 

Conte arrived at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in June 2024 to replace Francesco Calzona, who had taken over from Walter Mazzarri just three days earlier. 

And in his first season at the helm, Conte led Napoli to their fourth Scudetto and their first since 2022-23, securing a return to the Champions League in the process. 

But the Italian's second season in Naples has been anything but smooth sailing, with the Partenopei nine points adrift of Serie A leaders Inter with 11 games of the season left.

In addition, Conte's side were also dumped out at the first stage of the Champions League, finishing 30th in the league phase with just two wins from their eight matches. 

There have been rumblings that Conte could be reconsidering his future for 2026-27, having clashed with president Aurelio De Laurentiis on more than one occasion. 

"When I arrived at Napoli, I signed a three-year contract, so that is the length of the project," Conte said.

"Every end of the season, we sit down with the President, discussing and evaluating where we want to go. We’ll do it again at the end of this season, very calmly. 

"Everyone knows I am very happy in Naples, but at the same time, it is only right to evaluate the project and decide whether it is the right decision to keep going.

"My intention and desire is to continue this journey."

Conte has managed 67 matches in Serie A during his time with Napoli, winning 42 of those (D15 L10) and seeing his side net 104 goals and concede just 57. 

Not just during his time with Napoli, but across his managerial career, Conte has been forced to tweak his tactics, particularly in his second season at a team in his career. 

This campaign he has had to deal with several injuries, with the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Frank Anguissa all spending notable periods on the sidelines. 

But when asked whether he would shuffle his pack further ahead of a meeting with Cagliari at Unipol Domus this Friday, Conte was quick to shut down that idea. 

"We were missing a fundamental element like Di Lorenzo, who, along with Mazzocchi, are the only players who can be full-backs," Conte said.

"So we can't have a four-man defence without Giovanni.

"Throwing away all the guarantees we've earned with this system now would, in my view, be dangerous and potentially damaging for us."

Cagliari find themselves six points above the bottom three having failed to win their last three Serie A matches, following back-to-back wins over Fiorentina and Juventus. 

The two teams last met in December in the Coppa Italia, with Conte's side coming out on top 9-8 in a penalty shoot-out after a 1-1 draw in normal time. 

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Cagliari – ​Leonardo Pavoletti

Leonardo Pavoletti has played more Serie A minutes against Napoli without ever winning (663) than against any other side. He has scored two goals against them, at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in 2019 and 2023.

The striker, born in 1988, could also become only the fourth Cagliari player to be involved in more than 50 goals (43 goals, seven assists) in the competition across the last 20 seasons (since 2006-07), after Daniele Conti (56), Andrea Cossu (65) and Joao Pedro (90).

Napoli – Rasmus Hojlund

Rasmus Hojlund has scored two goals in his last three Serie A matches, as many as in his previous 10 in 2026.

He reached double figures in goals in the last match against Lecce and could record his best ever total in a season in Europe's top five leagues, having netted 10 for Manchester United in 2023-24.

MATCH PREDICTION: NAPOLI WIN

Napoli have lost just one of their last 29 Serie A matches against Cagliari (W20 D8), a 1-0 home defeat in September 2019. Since the 2009-10 season, this weekend's visitors have only recorded more wins in the top-flight against Sampdoria (21) than against Cagliari (20, level with Genoa).

The Partenopei are also unbeaten in their last 14 league matches away to Cagliari (W9 D5); their last away defeat against the Rossoblu in the top-flight was in April 2009 (2-0). 

Conte's side have won their last three Serie A matches, scoring at least two goals in each of them (all 2-1 wins). They could record four consecutive Serie A victories in the second half of a season with at least two goals scored for the first time since between May 2022 and February 2023 (run of seven under Luciano Spalletti).

Cagliari, meanwhile, have lost their last two Serie A matches and could suffer three consecutive defeats for the first time since December 2024 (run of four). Additionally, they are winless in 25 Serie A matches (D7 L18) against teams in the top three positions at the start of a matchday. 

The Rossoblu have lost their last three top-flight encounters against Napoli without scoring, conceding seven goals in total in this period. They could lose four consecutive league games against the Partenopei without finding the net for the first time.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Cagliari – 18.9%

Draw – 24.9%

Napoli – 56.3%