Cagliari-Parma is a match valid for the first leg of the Serie B playoff semifinals and is played on Tuesday at 20:30: likely formations, predictions, TV and streaming.
Not a few would call it a real early final, considering the other semi-finalists, Sudtirol and Bari, as they are both newly promoted. And on paper, the challenge between Cagliari and Parma certainly is. Especially if we take into account the value of their respective roses, equipped to win direct promotion.
But something went wrong: both the Sardinians and the Emilians were less consistent throughout the season than Frosinone and Genoa, already certain to play in the top flight next year. And to return to A, they will have to go through the dangerous playoffs, which put the only remaining pass up for grabs. Cagliari, after an extremely disappointing first half of the season, got back into gear from January onwards, when they enlisted an enormously experienced coach like Claudio Ranieri to replace Fabio Liverani. The islanders, however, had their fourth place snatched away on the very last day of the regular season despite Cosenza’s victory: they finished on 60 points, the same as Parma, but the Ducali prevailed thanks to the advantage in the direct clashes.
The last previous one a month ago
Fifth place meant having to start in the preliminary round. Last Saturday, Cagliari won the one-off match against the hostile Venezia, beaten 2-1 with a brace from an unstoppable Lapadula, scorer and leader of his team with 23 goals
Pecchia
Parma, on the other hand, will make their postseason debut at the Unipol Domus. The men led by Fabio Pecchia – a coach who has already achieved two promotions with Verona and Cremonese – ended the regular season on a high: from April onwards the score was six wins and two draws. The Gialloblù are also unbeaten against Cagliari: in December it ended 1-1 in Sardinia, while in the return match, played just a month ago, Parma won 2-1. We remind you that in the event of a draw at the end of the double-header there will be no extra time or penalties, but the best placed Parma will advance to the final.
Cagliari v Parma: latest line-up news
Ranieri must do without only the long-suffering Falco and Capradossi. In attack, the main doubt concerns Pavoletti. The former Genoa man could start from the bench, with Lapadula who will be flanked by one between Luvumbo and Prelec.
Three absences instead for Pecchia. Camara is disqualified, while Ansaldi and Valenti are out through injury. In the three-quarter the ballot is between Man and Zanimacchia.
The prediction
Two teams who are doing well and who arrive at the highlight of the season with a lot of certainties, especially from the offensive point of view. Cagliari know that they will have to do something extra to get through the round and in the first round they should be able to come out on top in a match with at least two goals in total. The feeling is that the second half will be more eventful than the first.
Cagliari v Parma (line-up probables)
- CAGLIARI (4-3-1-2): Radunovic; Zappa, Dossena, Altare, Obert; Nandez, Makoumbou, Deiola; Mancosu; Luvumbo, Lapadula.
- PARMA (4-2-3-1): Buffon; Osorio, Coulibaly, Cobbaut, Del Prato; Bernabé, Estevez; Man, Sohm, Benedyczak; Vazquez.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 2-1
