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Cagliari logo
Serie A | Gameweek 3
Sep 12, 2021 at 2pm UK
Stadio Sant'Elia
Genoa logo

Cagliari
2 - 3
Genoa

Pedro (16' pen.), Ceppitelli (56')
Ceppitelli (35'), Pedro (62')
FT(HT: 1-0)
Destro (59'), Fares (69', 78')
Biraschi (11'), Sabelli (15'), Kallon (58')

Preview: Cagliari vs. Genoa - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Sunday's Serie A clash between Cagliari and Genoa, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Cagliari and Genoa will both go in search of their first league wins of the season when they meet in Serie A on Sunday.

The hosts have taken one point from their opening two games and sit 14th, while the visitors are yet to get off the mark and are 19th.


Match preview

Cagliari's Nahitan Nandez celebrates scoring their first goal with teammates on May 2, 2021© Reuters

Cagliari only survived relegation by four points last season, largely thanks to the appointment of Leonardo Semplici in February who turned the club's fortunes around.

Supporters are hopeful that Casteddu can kick on in Semplici's first full season in charge, but it has been a tricky start to the campaign.

After fighting back from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Spezia on the opening weekend, Cagliari were beaten 4-1 by AC Milan a fortnight ago.

The Sardinian outfit will be desperate to get three points on the board at the third attempt, particularly as they travel to early league leaders Lazio next weekend.

Genoa coach Davide Ballardini on April 18, 2021.© Reuters

However, Genoa have won 1-0 in each of the last three meetings between the two sides.

Il Grifone could not have asked for a much tougher start to the new season, as they were thrashed 4-0 by reigning champions Inter Milan on the opening weekend before losing 2-1 to Napoli two weeks ago.

The Liguria outfit nearly took a point against Gli Azzurri before conceding in the 84th minute, while Goran Pandev also had a goal harshly ruled out for a foul on the goalkeeper.

Manager Davide Ballardini is in his fourth spell in charge of Genoa and took them to 11th place last season, their highest finish in five years. The 57-year-old has also had three previous spells in charge of Cagliari.

No Serie A side scored fewer goals away from home last season than Genoa (18), so Ballardini will hope that the deadline day arrival of Felipe Caicedo from Lazio will help in that department.

Cagliari Serie A form:
  • D
  • L

Cagliari form (all competitions):
  • W
  • D
  • L

Genoa Serie A form:
  • L
  • L

Genoa form (all competitions):
  • W
  • L
  • L



Team News

Leonardo Semplici, now in charge of Cagliari, pictured in December 2019© Reuters

Cagliari boosted their attacking options by signing Keita Balde from Monaco on deadline day, with the Senegalese international set to partner captain Joao Pedro upfront.

There are doubts over the fitness of defenders Luca Ceppitelli and Diego Godin, the latter of whom picked up an injury on international duty with Uruguay, which should pave the way for Martin Caceres to make his debut in the backline.

Goalkeeper Alessio Cragno missed the defeat to AC Milan with a hamstring injury, but returned to training on Thursday so could feature.

Genoa could hand debuts to a quartet of deadline day signings – Felipe Caicedo, Abdoulaye Toure, Mohamed Fares and Nikola Maksimovic.

Fellow new arrival Pablo Galdames has been on international duty with Chile and will not return to Italy until Saturday morning, meaning he is unlikely to play.

Midfielder Francesco Cassata is a long-term absentee for Il Grifone, having undergone a knee operation at the end of August.

Cagliari possible starting lineup:
Cragno; Zappa, Caceres, Carboni; Nandez, Marin, Strootman, Deiola, Dalbert; Pedro, Balde

Genoa possible starting lineup:
Sirigu; Vanheusden, Maksimovic, Criscito; Ghiglione, Toure, Badelj, Hernani, Fares; Pandev, Caicedo


SM words green background

We say: Cagliari 1-2 Genoa

Both sides should be reinvigorated by a flurry of new faces in the last few days of the transfer window, meaning a tight game is in store. Genoa were unlucky to lose to Napoli last time out and we think the visitors will get their first points on the board in Sardinia.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting a double chance bet on a home win or draw in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Home/Draw:data



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Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Cagliari win with a probability of 48.6%. A win for Genoa had a probability of 27.17% and a draw had a probability of 24.2%.

The most likely scoreline for a Cagliari win was 1-0 with a probability of 9.64%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.5%) and 2-0 (8.03%). The likeliest Genoa win was 0-1 (6.86%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.41%). The actual scoreline of 2-3 was predicted with a 2.2% likelihood.


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Game History

How you voted: Cagliari vs Genoa

Cagliari
56.1%
Draw
18.2%
Genoa
25.8%
66
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Uruguay's Nahitan Nandez in action at the Copa America on June 21, 2021
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10Torino361214103332150
11Genoa361113124344-146
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16CagliariCagliari36712173865-2733
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19SassuoloSassuolo3678214272-3029
RSalernitana36210242876-4816


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