Preview: Cagliari vs. Bologna - prediction, team news, lineups

At the halfway stage of the season, there will be very different targets for the second half of the campaign for these two clubs.

Match preview

Cagliari remain trapped in a relegation battle, but they did at least move out of the bottom three when Gaetano Oristanio cancelled out Valentin Gendrey's opener to claim a draw at Lecce last weekend.

That was their 10th league game away from the Unipol Domus this season and they are still without a win though, having taken just three points from a possible 30 on the road, so manager Claudio Ranieri may be glad they are back on home soil this weekend.

With the bottom four separated by just three points, another failure to win could easily see Cagliari slip back into the relegation zone.

Having taken 80% of their league points here in Sardinia this season though, and having won their last four home games against Bologna, the hosts may be confident of claiming a result.

A run of five games without a win needs to be arrested soon though, as Hellas Verona and Salernitana have both proven capable of picking up points in recents weeks.

Despite their position high up in the table, Bologna come into this game in poor form, and heading to a ground where they have not won since 2013 is not ideal either.

After a phenomenal set of results which saw Thiago Motta's men beat Roma and Atalanta in the league, and dump Coppa Italia holders Inter Milan out after extra time, Bologna have struggled.

On the back of those three wins, the Rossoblu travelled to Udinese and were thrashed 3-0, before only drawing 1-1 at home to away-strugglers Genoa, needing a 95th-minute Lorenzo De Silvestri equaliser to salvage a point.

The misery of dropped points in the league was compounded by exiting the Coppa Italia in midweek, as top-four rivals Fiorentina denied them of a place in the semi-finals by winning on penalties in Tuscany on Tuesday.

With fourth and 10th separated by just six points, another failure to win could be costly, especially considering Bologna will not play again until the end of the month due to the Supercoppa next weekend.

Cagliari Serie A form:

L

W

L

L

D

D

Cagliari form (all competitions):

W

L

L

D

L

D

Bologna Serie A form:

D

W

W

W

L

D

Bologna form (all competitions):

W

W

W

L

D

D

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Team News

Reinforcements in attacking areas are in short supply for Cagliari as injuries mean they will be without many attacking and midfield options.

While Eldor Shomurodov would have been away at the Asian Cup with Uzbekistan anyway, his foot injury will leave him sidelined at home alongside Gianluca Lapadula.

Marko Rog's long-term knee injury will also keep him out, along with Jakub Jankto, who has a muscular problem.

Cagliari have one player away at the Africa Cup of Nations, as Zito Luvumbo has been called up by Angola.

Meanwhile, Bologna have nobody away on international duty, but Joshua Zirkzee's booking against Genoa means he will miss out due to suspension.

The Dutch striker will be a huge miss for Motta's side, as his presence in attack has been vital and the seven goals he has struck represents almost one-third of their league tally this season.

Lewis Ferguson missed the Genoa game with a suspension of his own, but returned in the Coppa quarter-final at the Artemio Franchi and was impressive once more, before scoring in the shootout.

On the injury front, Dan Ndoye, Jesper Karlsson and Adama Soumaoro are all currently sidelined for the visitors.

Cagliari possible starting lineup:

Scuffet; Zappa, Goldaniga, Dossena, Augello; Nandez, Makoumbou, Prati, Viola; Pavoletti, Petagna

Bologna possible starting lineup:

Skorupski; Posch, Beukema, Calafiori, Kristiansen; Freuler, Moro, Ferguson; Orsolini, Van Hooijdonk, Saelemaekers

We say: Cagliari 0-0 Bologna

Bologna's recent struggles have been there for all to see, and while goals have been hard to come by at the best of times, Zirkzee's absence will only enhance this problem.

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