Bari-Cagliari is a match valid for the return leg of the Serie B play-off final and is played on Sunday at 20:30: line-ups, predictions, TV and streaming.
Ninety minutes. Just 90 in this Serie B grand final from which the third team promoted to the top flight will emerge. The one that, with more than a month’s delay, will join Frosinone and Genoa: the ciociari and liguri, in fact, won the Serie A at the end of the regular season, arriving respectively first and second in the standings.
Bari and Cagliari, on the other hand, have to pass through the caudine forks of the playoffs to see the light again. On the special train that leads to paradise, however, there is only one place left: will it be the “biancorossi” or the “rossoblù” to win it? This will be decided by the match at the San Nicola, the appendix of this vibrant postseason, where the men led by Michele Mignani, thanks to the best placement in the regular season – they scored 5 points more than the Sardinians, finishing third – will once again have the opportunity to play in front of more than 50 thousand spectators, a totally unusual figure for the cadet division. The Bari facility, one of the largest in Italy, had already recorded record numbers in the semi-final against Sudtirol. This time, however, there will be a sell-out. An infernal bedlam, in short. In which Claudio Ranieri’s Cagliari will have no other result at their disposal than victory.
Bari, with a draw you’re in Serie A
The first leg ended in a deadlocked 1-1. A scoreline which, given how things had gone, almost equated to a win for Bari
Mignani
Who now, by avoiding defeat in the return match, can celebrate a return to Serie A that has been awaited for more than 10 years. The playoff final does not involve either extra time or penalties: should the score be tied at the end of the 180 minutes, the winner will be whoever is better placed in the standings. The Sardinians will therefore have to adopt a different attitude from the one shown in the first leg, which was decidedly too passive. On points, in fact, the Galletti would have deserved it: having gone down after only nine minutes – Lapadula scored the usual goal – Bari came close to a draw on several occasions (also with a missed penalty by Cheddira), finding it only in the sixth minute of added time with Antenucci, who, unlike the Moroccan, did not miss from 11 metres. Ranieri, on the other hand, had to thank the amazing goalkeeper Radunovic, by far the best on the pitch of his team.
Bari-Cagliari: the latest line-up news
Mignani recovers Di Cesare, who will regain his place in the centre of the rearguard alongside Vicari, with Zuzek returning to the bench. The other change from the Cagliari match could concern the attack, with Bellomo seemingly favoured over Morachioli this time. A return to the 4-3-1-2 is therefore likely: Esposito-Cheddira the attacking pair.
Some changes for Ranieri too: in defence he will have Dossena back, disqualified in the first leg. Next to him, in the four-man line, should be Obert and not Goldaniga. Nandez is better: the Uruguayan, who came off injured last Thursday, will grit his teeth.
The prediction
Cagliari have no choice. The red and blue are with their backs to the wall after the result in the first leg. And they will be promoted to A only in case of victory. It is likely, therefore, that we will see a different, more proactive attitude: in short, the Sardinians will be the ones to play the game, with Bari, at least at the beginning, trying to close every space and keep the pace low. The Pugliesi have only lost three times at home this year, and only on one occasion since February have they seen more than three goals at the San Nicola. The game could go ahead in the second half, but the total number of goals, even this time, should be less than four. Bari are likely to avoid defeat.
Bari-Cagliari
likely line-up
- BARI (4-3-1-2): Caprile; Dorval, Di Cesare, Vicari, Mazzotta; Maita, Maiello, Benedetti; Bellomo; Esposito, Cheddira.
- CAGLIARI (4-3-1-2): Radunovic; Zappa, Dossena, Obert, Azzi; Nandez, Makoumbou, Deiola; Mancosu; Lapadula, Luvumbo.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-1
