Thiago Motta’s Juventus will be looking for their fourth straight win in the league when they hit the road to face 14th-placed Cagliari.
Cagliari will be looking for their seventh win of the 2024/25 season when they host fourth-placed Juventus on Sunday. The home team are just five points clear of the drop zone, and they will look to maintain that buffer. Meanwhile, the Old Lady need to keep winning to stay inside the top four.
Cagliari have only managed to accumulate 25 points in their 25 outings. The Isolani have been very inconsistent, and they will certainly have to punch above their weight to take down one of the Italian giants.
After securing all three points against Parma, they played out a 0-0 draw against Atalanta. While it was not their best performance, Cagliari have been doing most things right and can certainly cause problems for Juventus.
The visitors have slowly climbed up to fourth on the table with 46 points in their 25 outings. While they have only lost once, Juventus have played out 13 draws, which has not helped their cause. Since suffering their only league defeat at the hands of Napoli, the Turin-based outfit have won each of their last three league games.
While the Bianconeri are ten points behind the league leaders, they still have an outside chance. But, they are heading into this fixture on the back of a 3-1 thrashing against PSV that knocked them out of the UEFA Champions League. The Hard Tackle takes a close look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Team News & Tactics
Cagliari
Manager Davide Nicola has no fresh injury concerns to worry about heading into this fixture, which means he has a fully fit squad to choose from.
His team will line up in a 4-5-1 formation, where Elia Caprile will take charge in goal. Gabriele Zappa and Tommaso Augello will be the full-backs, while Yerry Mina will partner with Sebastiano Luperto in central defence.
Nadir Zortea and Mattia Felici will feature out wide on the flanks in midfield. They will look to contribute on both ends of the pitch. In the centre of the park, Razvan Marin will start alongside Antoine Makoumbou and Michel Adopo.
The trio will look to ensure Juventus do not end up dominating the proceedings. Finally, Roberto Piccoli will be spearhead the Cagliari attack against Juventus at the Sardegna Arena on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (4-5-1): Caprile; Zappa, Mina, Luperto, Augello; Zortea, Adopo, Makoumbou, Marin, Felici; Piccoli
Juventus
Juventus suffered a massive blow in their UEFA Champions League defeat to PSV Eindhoven as Chelsea loanee Renato Veiga suffered a tendon injury, which will keep him out for a while. He joins Gleison Bremer, Juan Cabal, and Pierre Kalulu on the sidelines. The Old Lady do have a boost ahead of this fixture as Andrea Cambiaso, Teun Koopmeiners, and Douglas Luiz are back in the mix.
The visitors will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, where Michele Di Gregorio will take charge in goal. Nicola Savona and Andrea Cambiaso will be the full-backs, while the highly sought-after Federico Gatti will start alongside Lloyd Kelly at the heart of the defence.
In the centre of the park, Teun Koopmeiners will form the double pivot alongside Khephren Thuram. They will look to shield the backline and control the tempo of the game.
Weston McKennie could take up the no. 10 role, with Francisco Conceicao and Kenan Yildiz taking charge on the flanks. Randal Kolo Muani should lead the line for Juventus against Cagliari on Sunday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Di Gregorio; Savona, Gatti, Kelly, Cambiaso; Thuram, Koopmeiners; Conceicao, McKennie, Yildiz; Kolo Muani
Key Stats
- After a run of four straight wins to start February, Juventus crumbled against PSV in the UEFA Champions League.
- The Old Lady will be looking to record consecutive away wins in the league for the first time this season when they take on Cagliari.
- The last two league meetings between Juventus and Cagliari have ended in a draw.
- The home team have only won one out of their last 26 league games against Juventus since 2010.
- Davide Nicola’s team will be eyeing consecutive home wins in the league, something they have not been able to manage since the end of 2023.
Player to Watch
Kenan Yildiz
The 19-year-old Turkish sensation is certainly enjoying life at Juventus. He has been involved in a total of 37 matches and has managed to contribute towards 11 goals. Having failed to bag a goal or an assist in their last six league games, Yildiz will be eager to have a big say on the end result of this fixture.
Prediction
Cagliari 1-3 Juventus
Cagliari have a very poor head-to-head record against Juventus. While they have managed to hold them onto a draw in their last two meetings, the home team have only won one out of the last 26 meetings.
The Old Lady might be heading into this one on the back of a defeat against PSV Eindhoven, but they have been in decent form in Serie A and should not have much difficulty in getting the desired result here. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for the away team.
