Cagliari seek to continue their seeming Serie A upturn in form when they welcome cellar-dwelling Salernitana to Sardegna Arena in gameweek 28's action on Saturday.
Claudio Ranieri's men ended Empoli's undefeated run under Davide Nicola last weekend, while the Salerno outfit's winless start to 2024 continued last time out.
Match preview
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When it seemed Ranieri's men were in free-fall, they have found ways to pick up results after a four-match losing run to claim five points from the last nine — 1-1 draws with Udinese and Napoli and last weekend's 1-0 success over Empoli.
Their fifth win of this campaign came against Nicola's in-form men, who were undefeated since their managerial change, leaving the Sardinians joint-level on 23 points with Hellas Verona.
The 18th-placed Rossoblu could rise as high as 13th in Serie A if they secure maximum points this weekend and results elsewhere go their way, with Lecce in 13th just two points clear of Ranieri's side.
With an unbeaten run standing at three games, Cagliari could go four unbeaten for the first time since February 2022, when they went five matches without losing, while a clean sheet could see them claim back-to-back shutouts in the league for the first time since May 2021.
That is Ranieri's remit heading into Saturday's game against the division's worst side, and they should aim for success against a side that seems destined to go down at the campaign's culmination.
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Salernitana are in dire straits, emphasised by the Granata's 10-game winless run (nine in Serie A), leaving them nine points off Verona in 17th and 10 adrift of 16th-placed Frosinone.
Fabio Liverani, the third head coach employed by Salernitana in 2023-24, is tasked with securing enough results between now and the end of the campaign, which proved challenging for Paulo Sousa and Filippo Inzaghi.
That seems a step too far for the league's bottom side, who have lost seven of their last nine in the league and seek to be only the second side since Crotone's great escape in 2016-17 to survive after accruing 14 points from 27 fixtures in three points for win campaign.
Despite last weekend's draw at Udinese, Liverani should have been disappointed by his side's inability to take advantage against short-handed hosts, who had Festy Ebosele sent off after 62 minutes.
Facing another relegation-threatened side this weekend gives the Granata another opportunity to secure much-needed points in their battle for survival, and they need the result in these six-pointers to avoid dropping to Serie B.
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Ranieri has several absentees, with Simone Aresti (shoulder), Zito Luvumbo (thigh), Leonardo Pavoletti (foot), Marco Mancosu (knee) and Marko Rog (knee) expected to miss out this weekend.
Only Gaetano Oristanio has netted more than once for Cagliari in the last four gameweeks, and the forward hopes to make an impact in round 28.
Their visitors do not have as many injury worries, as Norbert Gyomber (groin) is the only confirmed absentee, and Jerome Boateng and Niccolo Pierozzi are doubtful.
Antonio Candreva has netted three times against Saturday's opponents (all penalties), and the oldest player in Europe's top-five leagues with at least five goals and as many assists hopes to make a difference for the strugglers this weekend.
Cagliari possible starting lineup:
Scuffet; Nandez, Mina, Dossena, Augello; Deiola, Makoumbou, Jankto; Gaetano; Lapadula, Oristanio
Salernitana possible starting lineup:
Ochoa; Zanoli, Manolas, Pellegrino; Maggiore, Basic, Coulibaly, Bradaric; Candreva, Tchaouna; Weissman
We say: Cagliari 2-1 Salernitana
Games between these teams in Serie A produce goals, and Saturday's should be no different, with Cagliari likely to eke out a marginal victory over bottom Salernitana.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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