Cagliari aims to maintain their apparent improvement in Serie A performance as they prepare to host Salernitana, who currently occupies the bottom position in the league standings, at Sardegna Arena in gameweek 28’s fixture scheduled for Saturday.
Under the guidance of Claudio Ranieri, Cagliari concluded Empoli’s undefeated streak under the management of Davide Nicola in the previous weekend, while Salernitana’s streak without a victory in 2024 persisted in their recent match.
Match preview
In a turn of events following a period of apparent decline for Ranieri’s team, they have managed to garner positive outcomes subsequent to a sequence of four consecutive defeats, accruing five points from their last nine matches, including 1-1 draws against Udinese and Napoli, as well as a 1-0 victory over Empoli in the previous weekend.
Their fifth triumph of the current campaign was achieved against Nicola’s in-form team, who had remained undefeated since their managerial transition, resulting in the Sardinians being tied on 23 points with Hellas Verona.
Sitting in the 18th position, the Rossoblu have the potential to ascend to as high as 13th place in the Serie A standings should they secure maximum points in the upcoming fixture, coupled with favorable outcomes elsewhere. Lecce currently occupies the 13th position, with only a two-point advantage over Ranieri’s squad.
Having sustained an unbeaten streak spanning three games, Cagliari has the opportunity to extend this run to four matches, a feat not accomplished since February 2022 when they went unbeaten for five consecutive matches. Additionally, the attainment of a clean sheet would enable them to secure back-to-back shutouts in the league for the first time since May 2021.
This represents Ranieri’s objective ahead of Saturday’s encounter against the league’s lowest-ranked team, with the aim to secure victory against an opponent seemingly destined for relegation at the culmination of the season.
Salernitana finds themselves in a precarious position, underscored by their 10-match winless streak (nine in Serie A), leaving them trailing Verona in 17th place by nine points and Frosinone in 16th place by a margin of 10 points.
Fabio Liverani, appointed as the third head coach for Salernitana in the 2023-24 season, has been entrusted with the task of securing sufficient results from now until the end of the campaign, a challenge that proved daunting for Paulo Sousa and Filippo Inzaghi.
However, this endeavor appears daunting for the league’s bottom-ranked team, which has suffered defeat in seven of their last nine league matches, aspiring to replicate only the second instance since Crotone’s dramatic escape in the 2016-17 season, where a team survived after accumulating 14 points from 27 fixtures in a three-point-for-a-win campaign.
Despite securing a draw against Udinese in the previous weekend, Liverani is likely to be disappointed by his team’s inability to capitalize on the numerical advantage against the ten-man hosts, following Festy Ebosele’s dismissal after 62 minutes.
Facing yet another relegation-threatened opponent in the upcoming fixture presents Salernitana with another opportunity to amass crucial points in their quest for survival, underscoring the significance of securing results in these pivotal encounters to stave off the looming prospect of relegation to Serie B.
Team News
Ranieri’s squad faces numerous absences for their upcoming fixture, as Simone Aresti (shoulder), Zito Luvumbo (thigh), Leonardo Pavoletti (foot), Marco Mancosu (knee), and Marko Rog (knee) are anticipated to be sidelined this weekend.
In the preceding four gameweeks, only Gaetano Oristanio has managed to score multiple goals for Cagliari, and the forward aims to contribute significantly in round 28.
In contrast, their opponents have fewer injury concerns, with Norbert Gyomber (groin) confirmed as the sole absentee, while Jerome Boateng and Niccolo Pierozzi remain doubtful.
Antonio Candreva has scored three goals against Cagliari’s opponents on Saturday, all of which were penalties. As the oldest player in Europe’s top-five leagues with at least five goals and assists, he aspires to be a pivotal figure for the struggling team in the upcoming match.
Cagliari possible starting lineup:
Scuffet; Nandez, Mina, Dossena, Augello; Deiola, Makoumbou, Jankto; Gaetano; Lapadula, Oristanio
Salernitana possible starting lineup:
Ochoa; Zanoli, Manolas, Pellegrino; Maggiore, Basic, Coulibaly, Bradaric; Candreva, Tchaouna; Weissman