Cagliari vs Atalanta

Basement boys Cagliari will be desperate to get things rolling in Serie A when they take on Atalanta at the Sardegna Arena.

Cagliari’s impressive form down the final stretch of last season is something they desperately need here following a stuttering start to the new Serie A campaign. Rooted to the foot of the table, the ‘Sardinians’ have won just one of their opening 11 Serie A fixtures (D3, L7), courtesy of a 3-1 victory over Sampdoria at this venue in mid-October. However, the hosts have since suffered three Serie A defeats on the trot, conceding seven goals while scoring just one in return. Yet, far more comfortable at home, they have registered a clear majority (75%) of their Serie A goals scored this term at the Sardegna Arena (9/12), which could be comforting going into this clash. Cagliari will need to put some of that scoring prowess on display here if they are to snap a three-game losing H2H run at home, having fallen to the same 1-0 scoreline on each occasion.

Meanwhile, Atalanta were minutes away from beating Manchester United in midweek Champions League action before Cristiano Ronaldo’s stunning last-gasp equalizer made it 2-2. That same scoreline saw ‘La Dea’ share the spoils with Lazio last time out, extending their unbeaten run in Serie A to four matches (W2, D2). Among the ever-present Serie A sides, Gian Piero Gasperini’s men boast the longest ongoing unbeaten run away from home (11 games – W8, D3), while 68.42% of their league points this season have come on the road (13/19). What’s more, the visitors have netted an average of 3.00 goals per match across their last three Serie A travels (W2, D1), bagging precisely two first-half goals on each occasion. Atalanta have won three consecutive top-flight meetings with Caligari and could make it four straight top-flight H2H wins in a row for the first time.