´We need to change our mindset´ – Napoli defender Olivera determined for strong finish

Napoli defender Mathias Olivera has urged his team-mates to “change their mindset immediately” ahead of their Serie A fixture against Cremonese on Friday.

Antonio Conte’s side have fallen out of the title race and back into the battle for the Champions League places after failing to win back-to-back games.

Following a run of five consecutive wins, Napoli drew 1-1 with Parma before a 2-0 defeat to Lazio last time out.

That loss to Lazio ended a 26-game unbeaten run at home in Serie A (W19 D7) for Napoli. Under the guidance of the same manager, the Partenopei have not lost consecutive league matches at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona since December 2021.

Napoli could move 11 points clear of fifth-placed Como with a win against Cremonese, and Olivera is eager to finish the season on the front foot.

“We need to change our mindset immediately,” Olivera told Radio CRC. “Cremonese is on Friday and we want to stay up in the standings to qualify for the Champions League.

“Before the match against Parma, we were confident we’d play well and take home the three points. Unfortunately, their first-minute goal changed the game.

“I think we played well, but unfortunately we weren’t able to score the second goal. Against Lazio, however, we know we played poorly.

“We won’t give up and we want to fight until the end, we’ll try to get as high as possible and sweat for this shirt.”

Napoli vs Cremonese
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Cremonese have won just one Serie A game since the turn of the year as they sit above the relegation zone only on goal difference.

They drew 0-0 with Torino last time out, though they are set for a tough test in Naples against the reigning champions.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Napoli – Matteo Politano

Politano has been involved in four goals (two goals, two assists) in his last four Serie A appearances at the Maradona, after failing to be involved in any goals in his previous 11 home league games.

The Italian has scored one goal in two league matches against Cremonese, in a 4-1 away win in October 2022.

Cremonese – Antonio Sanabria

Sanabria has scored three goals in his last six Serie A matches against Napoli, with two of those coming at the Maradona.

The 27-year-old has only scored one goal in 23 games in the current Serie A campaign and has never finished a league season with fewer than two goals in his previous seven top-flight seasons.

MATCH PREDICTION – NAPOLI WIN

Napoli have won their last three Serie A matches against Cremonese – keeping a clean sheet in each of the last two – and are unbeaten in their last six meetings against them in the competition (W4 D2), keeping four clean sheets in the process.

Napoli have also won seven of their eight home Serie A matches against Cremonese – the only exception being a goalless draw on 29 October 1995 – scoring an average of two goals per game and conceding just one goal in those matches.

Conte’s side have won all four of their league matches against newly promoted sides this season, with an aggregate score of 8-2. They last won at least five such games in a single top-flight campaign in 2020-21, under Gennaro Gattuso.

Cremonese have lost all of their last six Serie A matches against sides starting the day in the top three positions, conceding at least two goals in each of those games (14 in total) and failing to score in the last three.

However, Cremonese have picked up four points (W1 D1 L2) in their four Serie A matches under Marco Giampaolo, after losing all four of their previous games. The Grigiorossi have not remained unbeaten in consecutive top-flight matches since last December (wins against Bologna and Lecce).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Napoli – 68%

Draw – 19%

Cremonese – 13%