Napoli Defender Olivera Calls for Mindset Shift Ahead of Cremonese Clash

Napoli defender Mathias Olivera has emphasized the need for his teammates to "change their mindset immediately" as they prepare for Friday's Serie A match against Cremonese. Antonio Conte's side, once in the title race, have slipped into a battle for Champions League qualification after failing to secure back-to-back victories.

A five-game winning streak was halted by a 1-1 draw with Parma, followed by a 2-0 defeat to Lazio, which ended Napoli's 26-match unbeaten home run in Serie A (19 wins, seven draws). The Partenopei have not lost consecutive league games at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona since December 2021. A win against Cremonese could extend Napoli's lead over fifth-placed Como to 11 points.

"We need to change our mindset immediately," Olivera told Radio CRC. "Cremonese is on Friday, and we want to stay high in the standings to secure Champions League qualification. Before the Parma match, we were confident, but their early goal changed the game. We played well but couldn't score a second. Against Lazio, we know we performed poorly. We won’t give up—we’ll fight until the end and give everything for this shirt."

Cremonese, hovering just above the relegation zone on goal difference, have managed only one Serie A win since January. A 0-0 draw with Torino last time out offers little comfort ahead of their trip to face the champions.

**Players to Watch** **Napoli – Matteo Politano**: The winger has contributed to four goals (two goals, two assists) in his last four home league appearances after a dry spell of 11 games. He also scored in Napoli's 4-1 win over Cremonese in October 2022.

**Cremonese – Antonio Sanabria**: The striker has netted three times in his last six meetings with Napoli, including two at the Maradona. However, he has only scored once in 23 league games this season.

**Match Prediction – Napoli Win** Napoli have won their last three league encounters with Cremonese, keeping clean sheets in the past two. They are unbeaten in six meetings (four wins, two draws), with four shutouts. At home, Napoli have won seven of eight matches against Cremonese, their sole blemish a 0-0 draw in 1995.

Conte’s side have a perfect record against promoted teams this season (four wins, aggregate 8-2). Cremonese, meanwhile, have lost their last six matches against top-three sides, conceding 14 goals and failing to score in the last three.

**Opta Win Probability** Napoli – 68% Draw – 19% Cremonese – 13%