Juventus will host Cagliari in Serie A this weekend, looking to continue their impressive run of form with a victory at home.
Juventus are currently second in the league table, and they will hope to climb to the top of the table with a win over Cagliari on Saturday. The home side are coming into this game on the back of four consecutive victories in the league, and they will be the favourites heading into this contest.
Meanwhile, Cagliari are 17th in the league table, and they will need to start picking up points or they could be dragged into the relegation battle. They have picked up two consecutive victories in the league and they will look to pull off an upset here.
The away side have picked up just one win over Juventus in the last six meetings, and it came back in 2020. It remains to be seen whether they can upset the odds this weekend. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Juventus
🎙️ Allegri: "Tomorrow it is important to win to close out this cycle before the international break, and then also for the standings, we are looking for the points we need to maintain our advantage over our rivals."#JuveCagliari
— JuventusFC 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@juventusfcen) November 10, 2023
The home side will be without the services of Mattia De Sciglio, Alex Sandro, Danilo, and Timothy Weah because of injuries. Paul Pogba, Nicolo Fagioli and Adrien Rabiot are suspended due to various offences.
Juventus are likely to shape up in a 3-5-2 formation, with Wojciech Szczesny in goal. Daniele Rugani will start in the central defensive unit alongside Gleison Bremer and Dean Huijsen. Andrea Cambiaso and Filip Kostic will start as the wing-backs here, and they will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch.
Weston McKennie will start in the heart of the midfield alongside Manuel Locatelli and Fabio Miretti. The three players will look to add defensive stability and control in the middle of the park. FInally, Dusan Vlahovic will lead the line for Juventus alongside Federico Chiesa.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Szczesny; Rugani, Bremer, Huijsen; Cambiaso, McKennie, Locatelli, Miretti, Kostic; Vlahovic, Chiesa
Cagliari
Claudio Ranieri will be without the services of Marko Rog, Elio Capradossi, Nahitan Nandez, and Alessandro Di Pardo because of their respective injuries. They are likely to shape up in a 4-3-1-2 formation, with Simone Scuffet in goal.
Gabiele Zappa will start as the full-back alongside Tommaso Augello. They will look to protect the central defence and help out during counter-attacks. Edoardo Goldaniga will start alongside Alberto Dossena at the heart of the defence.
Antoine Makoumbou, Matteo Prati and Jakub Jankto will start in the midfield unit, and they will look to protect the defensive unit and set up transitions. Marco Mancosu will start as the central attacking midfielder, and he will look to add creativity and technical ability in the final third. Finally, Gaetano Oristanio and Zito Luvumbo will lead the line for the away side.
Probable Lineup (4-3-1-2): Scuffet; Zappa, Goldaniga, Dossena, Augello; Makoumbou, Prati, Jankto; Mancosu; Luvumbo, Oristanio
Key Stats
- Juventus have won 11 of their last 12 matches against Cagliari in all competitions.
- Juventus have kept a clean sheet in their last six matches in Serie A.
- There have been over 2.5 goals scored in Cagliari’s last six games in Serie A.
- 17 goals have been scored in the last six matches between these two teams.
- Cagliari have conceded 22 goals in 11 league matches this season.
Player to Watch
Federico Chiesa
The 26-year-old winger has been in impressive form this season, and he has four goals in 10 league appearances. He will look to help create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates and get on the score sheet himself.
Chiesa could make a big difference in the final third with his pace, flair, creativity and goalscoring ability. So, the Italian international is our key player to watch out for and Juventus will need him to step up and deliver.
Prediction
Juventus 3-1 Cagliari
Juventus are undoubtedly the better team here, and they should be able to grind out all three points. Cagliari will be desperate to bounce back strongly and they are likely to put up a fight. However, the gulf in quality between the two teams is immense and the home side should be able to pick up a comfortable victory at home. A 3-1 win for Juventus is on the cards this weekend.