Football NewsSerie A: Cagliari Vs Bologna – Match preview
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For the first time this Serie A season, that prior match saw the Sardinian outfit win despite going behind, showing they could have the grit needed to drag themselves out of the relegation zone.

Cagliari

Cagliari will hope that their 2-1 win at Sampdoria could be the catalyst for a better 2022, continuing here with this Covid-affected game quickly rearranged from Sunday. For the first time this Serie A season, that prior match saw the Sardinian outfit win despite going behind, showing they could have the grit needed to drag themselves out of the relegation zone. The next task is to end a run of 13 straight home games without a clean sheet, and two consecutive Serie A matches here in which they trailed at half-time. However, a 10 per cent win-rate at home this Serie A campaign is relegation material, and significantly down on the 26 per cent they managed last season – a season where Cagliari only finished two spots above the drop zone.

 

Yet this game against Bologna could be the antidote considering Cagliari’s current three-game H2H winning streak at home, which is their best such run since the 1970s.

Bologna

Chaotic scenes surrounded Bologna’s last match as they failed to turn up after local health authorities stopped them from travelling due to rising Covid-19 cases in the squad. Ultimately that game was postponed, and with a Covid crisis continuing to engulf the team, a draw against Cagliari may be seen as a good result, albeit Bologna haven’t drawn in 11 Serie A outings. All three of Bologna’s Serie A away wins have come in their last four road trips though, and all against sides below them like Cagliari. Subsequently, they aren’t cut adrift from the European spots yet, and could be dangerous if drawing at half-time – Bologna have won a league-high five matches when level at the break.

 

Leonardo Pavoletti netted Cagliari’s winner last time out, and now all three of his Serie A goals this season have been second-half strikes. Similarly, Bologna’s Marko Arnautovic scored late in the reverse fixture – all six of his Serie A goals this term have come after the 70th minute. There hasn’t been a goalless first half in the combined 11 games these teams have played since the start of December.