Preview: Cagliari vs Lazio - prediction, team news, lineups

Much closer in Serie A than either side would expect, Cagliari and Lazio will clash in Sardinia on Saturday evening.

The hosts only trail their capital-city visitors by five points, and they will now aim to beat the Biancocelesti for the first time in 12 years.

Match preview

Cagliari have taken strides towards safety since the start of 2026, with consecutive victories over Juventus, Fiorentina and Hellas Verona putting them on course for a fourth straight season in Italy’s top tier.

However, that run was halted by a recent 2-0 defeat to Roma, before the Isolani suffered a disappointing home loss to Lecce on Monday evening.

Posting back-to-back defeats for just the second time this term, Fabio Pisacane’s side were beaten 2-0 again, leaving them a little closer to the relegation zone.

Nonetheless, Cagliari sit four points above 17th-placed Lecce and have a seven-point cushion to the bottom three, while they can still potentially contend for a rare top-half finish.

Closing the gap to Lazio would help in that respect, but the Rossoblu are winless in 21 Serie A matches against their Roman rivals, following a 2-0 loss in November’s reverse fixture.

Home or away, Lazio’s last league defeat against Cagliari dates back to May 2013; since then, they have won eight times and drawn twice on Sardinian soil.

Despite that impressive record, they will make this visit amid a dismal top-flight campaign that could see them miss out on Europe for a second straight year.

Lazio occupy ninth place on 33 points - just five above their hosts - and lie nine shy of a potential Conference League qualifying spot, after losing to a direct rival last week.

Maurizio Sarri’s men were beaten 2-0 by Atalanta BC at a sparsely populated Stadio Olimpico, meaning they have now won just one of their last seven home fixtures in Serie A.

Soon set to meet La Dea again in the Coppa Italia semi-finals - with the first leg taking place early next month - the Biancocelesti’s best hope of salvaging another sub-par season may lie in the cup.

While Sarri’s side have recently struggled in Rome - repeated fan protests surely playing a part - they are proving much more impressive on the road.

Lazio may have scored the joint-fewest away goals - just eight so far - but they also share top spot in terms of goals conceded (nine) and their last away loss was in November, against AC Milan at San Siro.

Cagliari Serie A form:

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Lazio Serie A form:

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Lazio form (all competitions):

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Team News

Cagliari are still without long-term absentees Andrea Belotti and Mattia Felici - plus Gennaro Borrelli and Alessandro Deiola - but Michael Folorunsho will be back in the fold this weekend.

A graduate of Lazio’s youth system, the midfielder's return is well-timed, as Gianluca Gaetano has sustained a thigh injury and may be missing for the next three weeks.

Semih Kilicsoy - the Rossoblu’s four-goal top scorer in Serie A - should feature up front, after veteran striker Leonardo Pavoletti was surprisingly handed a rare start on Monday.

Meanwhile, wing-back Marco Palestra - the league’s most fouled player - has five goal involvements this term and is being considered for an Italy call-up ahead of the World Cup playoffs.

Lazio can recall experienced defender Alessio Romagnoli, who served a suspension against Atalanta, but they still have some key men missing: Pedro, Manuel Lazzari, Mario Gila and captain Mattia Zaccagni are all injured.

Toma Basic is expected to return, though, and he may take Fisayo Dele-Bashiru’s place in midfield if considered fit enough to start.

Up front, Daniel Maldini should continue to play as a false nine, with Sarri preferring the January signing to Petar Ratkov and Boulaye Dia.

Cagliari possible starting lineup:

Caprile; Zappa, Mina, Ze Pedro; Palestra, Adopo, Sulemana, Mazzitelli, Obert; Esposito, Kilicsoy

Lazio possible starting lineup:

Provedel; Marusic, Romagnoli, Provstgaard, Tavares; Basic, Cataldi, Taylor; Isaksen, Maldini, Noslin