Cagliarivs.Juventus

Juve's defeat in the Champions League playoffs marked a new low for the fallen giants, and they now need more points in pursuit of returning to UEFA's top competition.

Match preview

Any joy from last week's Derby d'Italia win over Inter Milan was short-lived for Juventus, as the Turin side then slumped out of the Champions League on Wednesday.

Holding a one-goal lead from the first leg, Juve were beaten 3-1 on the night by PSV Eindhoven and missed out on a place in the last 16.

Timothy Weah's equaliser had put the Bianconeri on course to go through, but they conceded a second goal soon after pulling level, before Ryan Flamingo struck PSV's winner during extra time.

Juventus had progressed from their last 20 European Cup or Champions League knockout ties when winning the first leg - a run which went back to 1979 - but Thiago Motta's side failed to follow in those footsteps.

Motta had seen his team win four games on the spin to start February in fine style, but now they must quickly recover and go again on the domestic front.

Sitting fourth in the standings - vying with Lazio, AC Milan, Bologna and Fiorentina for a cherished top-four finish - Juve will try to record consecutive Serie A away wins for the first time this season, before tackling Empoli in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals.

Having previously posted five straight wins over Cagliari, the sides have drawn their last two league meetings - though Juventus were 4-0 winners when they most recently convened, in a mid-December cup tie.

Since the the start of 2010, Cagliari have won only one of 26 league games against Juve, losing on 20 occasions, so precedent suggests they should not expect much from Sunday's clash.

Yet, hope exists, as the Sardinian side held third-placed Atalanta BC to a goalless draw last weekend, continuing their bright start to the year.

After closing 2024 with four defeats in a row, Davide Nicola's men have since lost just two of seven Serie A fixtures, lifting them clear of the drop zone.

Having survived by a slim margin last season, the Rossoblu are on track to earn a third straight year in Italy's top flight - although, with 13 rounds remaining, no chickens will be counted.

Following their recent 2-1 victory over relegation rivals Parma, Cagliari can now target back-to-back home wins, which they last achieved in the league towards the end of 2023.

Though they have won three of their last six on home turf - as many as across the previous 16 - only one fifth of their overall points total has come from games against top-half teams; so beating Juventus remains a tall order.

Cagliari Serie A form:

D

W

L

L

W

D

Juventus Serie A form:

D

W

L

W

W

W

Juventus form (all competitions):

L

W

W

W

W

L

Team News

Juventus received another blow after their early European exit in midweek, as Chelsea loanee Renato Veiga sustained a tendon injury and will be sidelined on Sunday.

The visitors' defensive department is already missing Bremer and Juan Cabal - both of whom are out of action for the long term - while Pierre Kalulu is still unavailable and Andrea Cambiaso has just returned from an ankle problem.

Along with the latter, misfiring midfielder Teun Koopmeiners was replaced during Juve's loss to PSV, but he should recover from illness in time to make the trip south to Sardinia. Douglas Luiz could also be called up, after recovering from his latest muscular issue.

With top scorer Dusan Vlahovic out of favour, the Bianconeri's attack should be led by Randal Kolo Muani, who is the first Juventus player for 13 years to score or assist at least one goal in each of his first four league appearances.

Meanwhile, Cagliari's forward line is fronted by Roberto Piccoli, who has scored all of his 19 Serie A goals against different clubs - including a strike versus Juve in May 2023.

Given his team's recent resilience, Davide Nicola is set to keep a settled side, and he should have a full squad to choose from.

Cagliari possible starting lineup:

Caprile; Zappa, Mina, Luperto, Augello; Zortea, Adopo, Makoumbou, Marin, Felici; Piccoli

Juventus possible starting lineup:

Di Gregorio; Savona, Gatti, Kelly, Cambiaso; Thuram, Koopmeiners; Conceicao, McKennie, Yildiz; Kolo Muani

We say: Cagliari 0-1 Juventus

While Juventus will still be licking their wounds from Wednesday, they can come away from a tough away fixture with maximum points.

Written by

Jonathan O'Shea

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