Conte Picks Trio Made in Manchester for Napoli Game at Cagliari

Napoli is set to deploy an attacking trio consisting of Kevin De Bruyne, Scott McTominay, and Rasmus Hojlund in their away match against Cagliari today. Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport has notably dubbed this new Partenopei frontline as the 'Manchester Trio,' given their previous affiliations with Manchester clubs.

Conte Fields New Napoli Attacking Trident

Manager Antonio Conte is preparing to field a novel attacking lineup for Napoli's Serie A clash with Cagliari at the Unipol Domus Arena. This marks a significant tactical decision as De Bruyne, McTominay, and Hojlund are all slated to start in offensive roles.

While these three players have featured together in previous matches earlier in the season before De Bruyne's muscle injury in October, their roles were different. At that time, De Bruyne played as a central midfielder, and McTominay occupied the left-wing position.

Initially, Napoli operated under a 4-2-3-1 formation during the early months of the 2025-26 season. However, Conte has since implemented a tactical shift, consistently utilizing a 3-4-2-1 setup in recent months.

Following his return to action in early March, De Bruyne, the former Manchester City standout, has been integrated into Conte's revised tactical framework. For today's fixture, De Bruyne is set to start as an attacking midfielder, partnering with McTominay, and playing just behind the lone striker, Hojlund.

This match will mark De Bruyne's first Serie A start for Napoli since October 25, 2025, a game against Inter where he sustained a significant injury just under 40 minutes into the home fixture.

De Bruyne arrived at Napoli on a free transfer from Manchester City last summer. Meanwhile, both McTominay and Hojlund made their respective moves to the Stadio Maradona from Manchester United.

McTominay is currently in his second season with Napoli. Hojlund, on the other hand, joined the Serie A club last summer on a loan agreement that includes an obligation for a permanent transfer.