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Preview: Hellas Verona vs. Cagliari - prediction, team news, lineups

sportsmole.co.uk, 21 December 2023, 17:02
Two teams in need of a boost will lock horns in Serie A on Saturday evening, with Hellas Verona welcoming Cagliari to Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi.

Verona have only picked up 11 points from their opening 16 matches of the 2023-24 campaign, which has left them down in 19th position in the table ahead of the next set of fixtures in Italy's top flight, while Cagliari are 16th, collecting 13 points from their first 16 games.

Match preview

Verona have won two, drawn five and lost nine of their 16 Serie A matches this season to collect 11 points, which has left them in 19th position, two points behind 17th-placed Udinese.

The Yellow and Blues have not managed to triumph in the league since the end of August, while they will enter this match off the back of a 1-0 defeat to Fiorentina on Sunday.

Marco Baroni's side have drawn three of their last four Serie A games, though, including a 1-1 with Lazio in the last match in front of their own supporters on December 9.

Verona finished 17th in Serie A last season, which saw them take part in a relegation tie-breaker with Spezia, and they managed to record a 3-1 victory to secure their spot in the top flight for another campaign.

The Yellow and Blues have the fourth-worst home record in Serie A this season, only picking up six points from seven matches, but Cagliari have the second-worst away record, gathering just two points from eight fixtures.

Cagliari will not be sympathetic to Verona's issues this term, as they have plenty of their own, with a tough campaign to date leaving them in 16th position in the table.

Claudio Ranieri's side have won three, drawn four and lost nine of their 16 league matches this season to collect 13 points, and they are only one point ahead of 18th-placed Empoli.

Gli Isolani were promoted back to Serie A through last season's Serie B playoffs, so survival is their main aim this season, and their disappointing away form will need to be addressed if they are to stay clear of the relegation zone in the second half of the campaign.

Cagliari managed to record a huge 2-1 win over Sassuolo on December 11, but they will enter this match off the back of a 2-1 defeat at Napoli, with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia netting the winner.

The Red and Blues have not actually beaten Verona in Serie A since November 2017, and the home side on Saturday have been victorious in two of the last three meetings between the two sides.

Hellas Verona Serie A form:

L

L

D

D

D

L

Cagliari Serie A form:

W

L

D

L

W

L

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Team News

Verona's squad is in good shape at the moment in terms of availability, but Davide Faraoni remains a doubt for this weekend's clash due to a muscular problem.

Head coach Baroni is expected to name an almost identical side to the one that took to the field for the first whistle against Fiorentina last time out, with Milan Duric leading the line.

However, there will be a return for Ondrej Duda in midfield, with the 29-year-old serving a suspension in the team's last match.

As for Cagliari, Eldor Shomurodov will be out until at least the end of next month due to a foot problem, while Marko Rog remains unavailable with a serious knee injury.

Leonardo Pavoletti is the team's leading goalscorer in Serie A this season with four, and the 35-year-old will again feature in the final third for the visitors here.

Head coach Ranieri will have been pleased with what was a positive performance against Napoli last time out, so it could be the same XI for this match providing that there are no late fitness problems.

Hellas Verona possible starting lineup:

Montipo; Tchatchoua, Magnani, Hien, Terracciano; Duda, Suslov; Ngonge, Folorunsho, Lazovic; Duric

Cagliari possible starting lineup:

Scuffet; Nandez, Goldaniga, Dossena, Augello; Oristanio, Prati, Makoumbou, Jankto; Pavoletti, Petagna

We say: Hellas Verona 1-1 Cagliari

There is not a huge difference between these two sides when it comes to quality, and we are expecting a close match on Saturday. Cagliari have been poor on their travels, but Verona have won just once in Serie A at home this season, so we have had to settle on a low-scoring draw here.

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