Cagliari-Genoa is a Serie B Week 27 match and is played on Wednesday at 20:30: odds, predictions, TV and streaming
This midweek round brings the challenge between the two most emblazoned teams in the current Serie B, relegated from the top flight last May. Nine Scudetti in two and many Serie A championships, as well as sporadic appearances in Europe. Inevitably, the spotlight will be on the match at the Unipol Domus, where Cagliari and Genoa will face each other.
Both are working hard to make sure that the year of purgatory is just one, even if at the moment the Sardinians are even in danger of missing the playoffs. Claudio Ranieri, back on the island after thirty years since the historic double promotion at the turn of the 1980s and 1990s, has somehow managed to straighten out a situation that was beginning to become worrying, but Cagliari remain a highly discontinuous team. From January onwards, the only defeat came in the away match in Modena, with the red-blues forced to play with 10 men for several minutes, but in the last two days Lapadula and his team-mates have failed to beat either Bari or Venezia, drawing two in a row.
Cagliari are now eighth and would be protagonists in the postseason, but the second place, which is worth direct promotion, remains far away. Ranieri’s men have to make the chase against Genoa, currently the second force of the championship with 46 points, nine more than their next opponents. The Grifone have been on a run since Alberto Gilardino took over at the helm, quickly climbing the table. On Saturday, the red and blues responded to their pursuers Bari and Reggina by beating Spal at the Marassi, but only broke the deadlock with 13 minutes remaining in the match.
Cagliari-Genoa: latest line-up news
Ranieri must do without Falco, Nandez, Pavoletti and Viola. Di Pardo is available again, but will sit on the bench. Zappa and Azzi will play on the flanks, while Mancosu will play behind the Luvumbo-Lapadula attacking tandem in the back.
Dragusin
The only doubt in Gilardino’s mind concerns the attack, where Coda is pushing for a starting berth, undermining one of Puscas and Gudmundsson. In the middle Strootman, Sturaro and Badelj
The prediction
As well as having the best domestic performance, Cagliari have won their last five matches at the Unipol Domus and should be able to avoid defeat even against what is currently the second strongest side in the tournament. It will be a hard-fought match, however, in which the total number of goals is likely to be less than four.
Cagliari v Genoa likely line-up
- CAGLIARI (3-4-1-2): Radunovic; Goldaniga, Dossena, Altare; Zappa, Makoumbou, Rog, Azzi; Mancosu; Luvumbo, Lapadula.
- GENOA (4-3-2-1): Martínez; Sabelli, Bani, Dragusin, Haps; Strootman, Badelj, Sturaro; Gudmundsson, Jagiello; Puscas.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-1
