Cagliari welcome Sassuolo to Unipol Domus for an Italian Serie A fixture on Thursday. The hosts are looking to snap out of a recent slump, while the visitors are aiming to build on some fine showings on their travels.
Cagliari appear to be on a downward spiral in recent weeks, having failed to win their last four Serie A matches. They played out a 2-2 draw at Verona last time out, with goals from Riyad Idrissi and Mattia Felici earning them a share of the spoils.
Having fought back from two goals down to earn that draw, manager Fabio Pisacane will look to use the performance as a springboard for resurgence. However, Cagliari will head into Thursday's clash with two straight home defeats.
Meanwhile, Sassuolo will travel to Unipol Domus off the back of a 1-0 home defeat to Roma. That was their first loss in four Serie A matches, and manager Fabio Grosso will be keen to get things back on track.
Sassuolo have done some good work on their travels and are unbeaten in their last two away matches. A 1-0 victory at Verona is among their results on this run.
How the bookies view it: Closely fought encounter
The bookies are anticipating a closely fought contest, with a win for Cagliari priced at 6/4 by BOYLE Sports, who are also offering 7/4 for a Sassuolo win. A draw is set at odds of 2/1.
Head to head: Cagliari with the edge
Cagliari have a 6-4 edge with 10 draws in the last 20 matches against Sassuolo. The hosts picked up a 2-0 away victory in the last clash between both teams during the 2023-24 season.
Players to watch: Eyes on Pinamonti
Andrea Pinamonti has two league goals for Sassuolo this season and will be keen to increase his tally on Thursday. The forward could be the one to watch in this clash (Andrea Pinamonti anytime goalscorer – valued at 9/4 by BOYLE Sports).
With striker Andrea Belotti currently sidelined, Felici could be worth keeping an eye on for Cagliari. He often carries an attacking threat from midfield and scored his second goal of the season last time out (Mattia Felici anytime goalscorer – offered at odds of 6/1).
Probable line-ups:
Belotti is ruled out with a knee injury, while Yerry Mina, Alessandro Deola and Alessandro Di Pardo are also sidelined for Cagliari. Felici could earn a start after coming off the bench to score last time out, while Gianluca Gaetano is set to continue in attack.
Sassuolo also have injury problems of their own, with Daniel Boloca, Tarik Muharemovic and Edoardo Pieragnolo all sidelined. Pinamonti is expected to lead the line once again, while Filippo Romagna is set to start at the back.
Cagliari: Caprile, Zappa, Pedro, Idrissi, Palestra, Felici,Prati, Folorunsho, Obert, Gaetano, Borrelli.
Sassuolo: Muric, Walukievicz, Idzes, Romagna, Doig, Thorstvedt, Matic, Kone, Beradi, Pinamonti, Fadera.
Anything else catch the eye?
Both teams have scored in four of Cagliari's last six matches (BTTS YES – available at 4/5 by BOYLE Sports). There have been goals in both halves in the home team's last five matches (Goal in both halves – set at odds of 20/21).
Cagliari have gone behind in their last two home matches, while Sassuolo have scored first in two of their last four fixtures (Sassuolo to score first – valued at 23/20).
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