Preview:Cagliari vs. Bologna - prediction, team news, lineups

Aiming to defeat Cagliari for a third consecutive Serie A game, Bologna travel to Unipol Domus on Sunday looking to secure maximum points against the Sardinians in gameweek seven.

However, the visitors from Emilia-Romagna have never overcome their opponents in back-to-back trips, which is doubly unsettling considering their winless away form this season.

Match preview

Cagliari are mid-table in the form table in Serie A over the past five games, winning two, losing two, and drawing one.

With two victories, two stalemates and two defeats overall, Fabio Pisacane’s team have had a balanced season so far, with identical results at home and away, suggesting no clear pattern after six rounds.

Having failed to secure maximum points in back-to-back games before the international break, the Sardinians aim to end their mini-winless streak and potentially overtake Bologna, who sit two points ahead.

However, four losses in the past five meetings do not bode well for the hosts, who lost both fixtures in the 2024-25 season, falling 2-0 in Sardinia and 2-1 at the Dall'Ara.

As a result, their 2-1 victory in January 2024, sandwiched between two losses to this weekend's visitors, appears to be anomalous.

As for Vincenzo Italiano's team, a top-six position could be within reach if the visitors from Emilia-Romagna win and other results favour them.

Having earned 10 points from six games, the Rossoblu could rise to as high as third after the seventh round, with third-placed AC Milan (13 points), Inter Milan (12), Juventus (12) and Atalanta BC (10) above them.

Nevertheless, the Emilians' sequence without an away win this season is notable, with nine points from nine in Emilia-Romagna and just one from three on the road.

This casts doubt on Bologna's aim to secure consecutive away league wins against Cagliari for the first time in Serie A history, as they seek to follow last year’s 2-0 victory in Sardinia with another win.

However, sharp-eyed observers will note that two of Bologna's away defeats have come at top-of-the-table Roma and third-placed Milan, which provides necessary context.

Cagliari Serie A form:

Cagliari form (all competitions):

Bologna Serie A form:

Bologna form (all competitions):

Team News

Andrea Belotti is out for possibly the rest of the season after suffering a serious knee injury last month; however, the quartet of Alessandro Di Pardo, Yerry Mina, Boris Radunovic and Marko Rog should return within a few days or weeks.

With Belotti missing, the Sardinians must find other attacking solutions to replace the only player to score more than once for them this season.

Bologna do not have as many injury problems, with Ciro Immobile the Emilians’ only injured absentee entering this weekend.

Although he has yet to record an assist, Riccardo Orsolini is tied with Christian Pulisic as the league's top scorer with four goals, and the wide attacker aims to add to his overall tally on Sunday.

Aiming to add to his three goal involvements, Nicolo Cambiaghi should start on the opposite wing from Orsolini, adding another layer of threat to the visitors.

Cagliari possible starting lineup:

Caprile; Zappa, Pedro, Luperto; Palestra, Adopo, Prati, Folorunsho, Obert; Esposito, Borrelli

Bologna possible starting lineup:

Skorupski; Zortea, Heggem, Lucumi, Miranda; Moro, Freuler; Orsolini, Odgaard, Cambiaghi; Castro

We say: Cagliari 1-1 Bologna

Despite Bologna winning four of the previous five meetings, their winless away record this season and their inability to secure consecutive victories at Cagliari suggest that their first win on the road is far from certain.

Therefore, the points could be shared in Sardinia, with the Isolani avoiding defeat against Italiano’s team in round seven.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.