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Relegation-threatened Cagliari face mid-table Sampdoria at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris in a round 26 Serie A clash.
The Sardinian visitors have grabbed a few crucial points of late to move to 17th in the table. Meanwhile, the Blucerchiati are 10th with 31 points from 25 games so far.
Sampdoria came away from tough fixtures against Lazio and Atalanta with zero points, losing 0-1 and 0-2 respectively. The Derby della Lanterna followed and Samp restored some pride with a hard-fought 1-1 draw.
Lorenzo Tonelli's 77th-minute goal rescued a point for Claudio Ranieri's men after Davide Zappacosta gave Genoa the lead.
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Cagliari's new boss Leonardo Semplici earned the club's first win since November in his opening game against fellow strugglers Crotone. They beat the Calabrians 2-0 away from home.
An impressive 1-0 win in midweek over Bologna followed, with Daniele Rugani earning the three points with a 19th-minute goal.
Sampdoria vs Cagliari Head-to-Head
Of the last 10 games between the pair, Sampdoria have a slight edge with four wins and three draws. However, Cagliari's three wins have come in the previous four games in this fixture.
The two sides last met in November, with Cagliari running out 2-0 winners at home. That wasn't much of a surprise given that Sampdoria haven't won in Sardinia in over a decade.
Conversely, Cagliari last won in Genoa in 2012, with Samp winning six of the following seven games at the Luigi Ferraris.
Sampdoria form guide in Serie A: D-L-L-W-D
Cagliari form guide in Serie A: W-W-L-L-L
Sampdoria vs Cagliari Team News
Sampdoria
Claudio Ranieri has a few concerns as Morten Thorsby, Kristoffer Askildsen and Mikkel Damsgaard continue to show flu-like symptoms, as per reports.
An earlier COVID-19 test came back negative, but with goalkeeper Karlo Letica testing positive earlier, more tests will be conducted. The trio have missed training and are unlikely to be available.
Fabio Quagliarella faces a late fitness test as he nurses a calf injury, while fellow forward Ernesto Torregrossa is definitely out. Manolo Gabbiadini and Gaston Ramirez will vie to partner Keita Balde up front.
Injured: Ernesto Torregrossa
COVID-19: Karlo Letica
Doubtful: Morten Thorsby, Kristoffer Askildsen, Mikkel Damsgaard
Suspended: None
Cagliari
Leonardo Simplici may have to do without previous match-winner Daniele Rugani as well as Giovanni Simeone. The pair will face a race to be fit for this game. Marko Rog and Riccardo Sottil continue to be unavailable.
Charalambos Lykogiannis returns from suspension and should replace Gabriele Zappa in the lineup. Leonardo Pavoletti and Luca Ceppitelli are in line to replace Rugani and Simeone should they not be fit.
Injured: Marko Rog, Riccardo Sottil
Doubtful: Daniele Rugani, Giovanni Simeone
Suspended: None
Sampdoria vs Cagliari Predicted XI
Sampdoria Predicted XI (4-4-1-1): Emil Audero (GK); Bartosz Bereszynski, Maya Yoshida, Alex Ferrari, Tommaso Augello; Antonio Candreva, Albin Ekdal, Adrien Silva, Jakub Jankto; Keita Balde; Manolo Gabbiadini
Cagliari Predicted XI (3-5-2): Alessio Cragno (GK); Ragnar Klavan, Diego Godin, Luca Ceppitelli; Nahitan Nandez, Alfred Duncan, Radja Nainggolan, Razvan Marin, Charalambos Lykogiannis; Joao Pedro, Leandro Pavoletti
Sampdoria vs Cagliari Prediction
Cagliari are experiencing a new-manager bounce while Sampdoria have one win in their last six Serie A games. The table may point to an easy win for Doria, but it may be a tough game for Claudio Ranieri's men.
Joao Pedro and Keita Balde can certainly trouble their respective opponents and thus we can expect a low-scoring draw.
Prediction: Sampdoria 1-1 Cagliari
