AS Roma will be aiming to retake the Serie A summit when they face Cagliari on Sunday.
Having been knocked off the Serie A summit last weekend, AS Roma will attempt to regain their momentum with a crucial away victory on Sunday as they visit a struggling Cagliari side at the Sardegna Arena.
Roma entered last week as the surprise leaders of Serie A, sitting top after 12 matchdays for the first time in over a decade. However, their stay at the summit proved short-lived. A flat performance in Derby del Sole saw Gian Piero Gasperini’s side outplayed for long spells during a 1-0 defeat to reigning champions Napoli.
The loss exposed Roma’s limitations against elite sides but did little to overshadow the significant progress they have made this season. The Giallorossi last endured back-to-back league defeats a full year ago, an important marker of their growing consistency under Gasperini, who continues to build on the strong foundations laid by Claudio Ranieri during his interim spell.
Compared to this stage last season, AS Roma have collected 14 more points, firmly placing themselves on the path toward their primary objective: a return to the Champions League. A win in Sardinia would move them to the 30-point mark after 14 matches for the first time since the 2016/17 campaign.
Yet, the challenges ahead are considerable, as Sunday’s match is the first of nine fixtures in just 35 days across Serie A, the UEFA Europa League, and the Coppa Italia. Depth will be tested, rotations will be necessary, and momentum will be essential.
History strongly favours the capital club. AS Roma have lost just one of their last 20 league encounters with Cagliari winning 14, and have kept clean sheets in each of the past three. The Rossoblu’s sole victory in that long stretch came in April 2021, highlighting the scale of the task facing the hosts.
Cagliari, meanwhile, continue to sink deeper into trouble. The Sardinians have gone nine straight Serie A matches without a win, collecting just four points from a possible 27. After conceding a late equaliser in a chaotic 3-3 draw with Genoa, Fabio Pisacane’s men fell to a 2-1 defeat against Juventus in Turin, despite an early goal from Sebastiano Esposito.
Their Coppa Italia exit in midweek was equally painful. Esposito again scored to force extra time against Napoli, but crucial misses from Mattia Felici and Zito Luvumbo in the shootout condemned Cagliari to elimination. With the distraction of the cup now removed, the priority becomes singular: survival.
Their margin above the relegation places continues to shrink, and facing a determined Roma side at a difficult moment in their season is far from ideal. The Hard Tackle takes a look at how the clubs could line up on the night and what tactics they might employ.
Team News & Tactics
Cagliari Calcio
Cagliari enter this match with several significant absences, and Fabio Pisacane must again adjust his side amid ongoing fitness concerns. Andrea Belotti remains a long-term absentee due to a serious knee injury. Yerry Mina continues to struggle with a muscular problem that has limited his involvement in recent weeks, though he is attempting to return to full training.
Midfielder Ze Pedro and captain Luca Mazzitelli are also sidelined, with both players nursing lingering injuries that keep them out of contention. There are no suspensions for the Rossoblu, but match fitness remains a concern, particularly in midfield where Pisacane has been forced to reshuffle repeatedly.
Despite fatigue from the midweek Coppa Italia exit, Cagliari are expected to field a competitive lineup as they try to halt their alarming slide down the table. With selection options restricted, Pisacane is likely to persist with the 3-5-2 formation that has brought moments of stability.
Italian goalkeeper Elia Caprile is expected to start between the posts, offering reliability and composure from the back. In defence, Gabriele Zappa should operate as the right-sided centre-back, joined by Colombian international Yerry Mina, if passed fit, or otherwise replaced by Adam Obert. On the left side of the defensive trio, Italian defender Sebastiano Luperto brings experience and physical presence.
Out wide, Marco Palestra will likely take up the right wing-back role, tasked with providing width and supporting transitions. On the opposite flank, Adam Obert may shift higher into the left wing-back position if Mina starts; otherwise, the versatile Slovak will remain deeper.
The midfield trio should consist of Alessandro Deiola anchoring the centre, with young talent Matteo Prati offering distribution and control, and Michael Folorunsho providing power, ball-carrying ability, and late runs into the box.
In attack, Sebastiano Esposito is expected to lead the line, having scored in consecutive matches across league and cup. Alongside him, Gennaro Borrelli brings aerial dominance and hold-up play, forming a physically imposing front pairing that Pisacane hopes can trouble a resilient AS Roma defence.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Caprile; Zappa, Mina, Luperto; Palestra, Deiola, Prati, Folorunsho, Obert; Esposito, Borrelli
AS Roma
Roma arrive in Sardinia with their own concerns on the fitness front, even as their overall form has remained strong. Despite these concerns, Gian Piero Gasperini is expected to field a strong lineup in his preferred 3-4-2-1 structure, one that emphasises control through the midfield and fluid movement between the attacking lines.
Serbian goalkeeper Mile Svilar will continue as the first-choice option, providing stability with his shot-stopping and improved command of the penalty area. In defence, Gianluca Mancini will marshal the back line on the right of the central trio, with Evan Ndicka offering athleticism and recovery pace in the middle. Spanish defender Mario Hermoso rounds out the unit on the left, adding calm distribution and positional intelligence.
On the flanks, Turkish full-back Zeki Celik is expected to operate as the right wing-back, tasked with stretching the play and supporting transitions, while Brazilian youngster Wesley should feature on the left, offering energy and forward thrust. In central midfield, Bryan Cristante will act as the anchor, responsible for tempo control and defensive cover, alongside Manu Kone, who brings dynamism and ball-carrying ability to Roma’s engine room.
In the two advanced midfield roles, Argentine playmaker Matias Soule and Lorenzo Pellegrini are expected to start. Soule’s creativity and goal threat have been instrumental this season, while Pellegrini’s passing range and spatial awareness allow Roma to manipulate defensive structures effectively. Leading the attack, Paulo Dybala should spearhead the frontline, fitness permitting, as the false nine, linking play and drifting into pockets to destabilise Cagliari’s defensive shape.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Svilar; Mancini, Ndicka, Hermoso; Celik, Cristante, Kone, Wesley; Soule, Pellegrini; Dybala
Key Stats
- AS Roma have lost just one of their last 20 Serie A matches against Cagliari, winning 14 of those encounters. This includes three straight clean-sheet victories heading into this weekend.
- Cagliari have collected only four points from their last nine league games, a run that has pulled them dangerously close to the relegation zone. They have not won a Serie A match since mid-September.
- AS Roma have accumulated 14 more points than at this stage last season and are on course for their strongest first 14-match return in eight years if they reach 30 points with a win here.
- The Sardinian side have conceded at least two goals in five of their last seven home matches, and they enter this game having shipped 23 goals already this season, one of the leakiest records in the league.
- Roma have scored the opening goal in eight of their nine league victories, underlining how crucial early dominance is to their success. They have also conceded just six goals all season, the club’s lowest tally after 12 games since 2013.
Player to Watch
Paulo Dybala
All eyes will once again be on Paulo Dybala, the creative heartbeat of this Roma side and arguably the player with the highest ceiling of influence on Sunday’s match-up. Although the Argentine has endured yet another stop-start season due to injuries and a recent illness scare, his quality remains undisputed, and when he is on the pitch, Roma become a far more dangerous and unpredictable attacking unit.
Dybala’s role as a roaming playmaker in Gasperini’s 3-4-2-1 system is central to everything AS Roma build in the final third. His ability to receive between the lines, slip passes into runners, and create shooting angles out of nothing makes him the most natural match-winner on the pitch.
Even in limited minutes this season, he has produced flashes of the brilliance that has defined much of his career, curling finishes, disguised through balls, and clever link-ups with Lorenzo Pellegrini and Matias Soule. Against a Cagliari side that has struggled defensively and often concedes space between midfield and defence, Dybala’s flair and incisiveness could prove decisive.
His set-piece delivery is an additional major weapon, especially with Roma boasting strong aerial presences like Gianluca Mancini and Evan Ndicka. If Dybala is fit enough to feature from the start, or even if he appears off the bench, his involvement could significantly tilt the contest in Roma’s favour.
Prediction
Cagliari Calcio -2 AS Roma
Roma arrive in Sardinia with greater quality, deeper structure, and far superior momentum despite last week’s setback against Napoli. Cagliari, meanwhile, continue to struggle defensively and lack consistency in midfield, even though recent performances from Sebastiano Esposito and Gennaro Borrelli offer faint encouragement.
Their inability to string together a complete 90-minute performance, coupled with injuries to key players like Mattia Felici, Andrea Belotti, Luca Mazzitelli, and Ze Pedro, leaves them vulnerable against a Roma side that excels at controlling game tempo.
If Paulo Dybala is indeed fit enough to play meaningful minutes, Roma instantly become sharper in transition and more threatening around the box. Even in his absence, the tandem of Matias Soule and Lorenzo Pellegrini should create enough opportunities to unlock a leaky Cagliari back line that has conceded in nine straight league outings.
Cagliari may have brief spells of pressure, especially through Luvumbo or Prati’s midfield energy, but Roma’s defensive organisation, combined with their superior technical quality, should ultimately be decisive.
