Preview: Genoa vs. Cagliari – prediction, team news, lineups

Aiming for a victory to start Patrick Vieira‘s tenure positively, Genoa seek maximum against a Cagliari side one place ahead of them in the Serie A table ahead of Sunday’s gameweek 13 match at Stadio Comunale Luigi Ferraris.

The Frenchman replaced the sacked Alberto Gilardino during the international break and has been tasked to guide the Rossoblu away from relegation trouble.

Match preview

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Concerned about their survival prospects after a poor start to the season, Genoa acted decisively during the break, replacing Gilardino with Vieira as their new head coach.

Although the former Italy striker secured four points from his final two matches against Parma (1-0) and Como (1-1), both results did little to convince the 777 Partners about the Rossoblu’s direction of travel.

Those results saw them move outside the bottom three, even if the fourth-bottom Genoa are a point above Lecce (nine points) in 18th and two ahead of Monza and Venezia.

Given the compactness at both ends of the table — the top six are separated by two points, and five points separate the bottom nine — Genoa’s situation is far from precarious.

Thus, a managerial change could be the perfect tonic for the struggling Liguria club, which could rise as high as 13th this weekend.

However, they must find solutions to their winless start at the Luigi Ferraris, having notched four points from an available 21 in front of their supporters, leaving them as one of two clubs (same as Monza) without maximum points on their turf.

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The away side are in worse shape than their Liguria hosts, as evidenced by a four-match run without success, including a three-game sequence of defeats before a creditable 3-3 draw with AC Milan on November 9.

Gabriele Zappa was Cagliari’s hero against the Rossoneri before the hiatus, twice scoring levellers with the Sardinians 1-2 and 2-3 down, notching the latter in the final minute of normal time.

While their draw against Milan was encouraging, Davide Nicola will be scratching his head regarding his side’s leaky rearguard that has conceded two goals or more in the previous five Serie A matches, underscoring where the away side’s issues are entering Sunday’s visit to Liguria.

Adding to Cagliari’s anxiety are their wretched results at Genoa in the last decade: zero wins in eight Serie A visits and one Serie B trip, losing seven of nine since a 2-1 top-flight triumph in April 2014.

That statistic emphasises the Sardinians’ struggles, even if the away support hope for a different outcome in their sixth road game of 24-25.

Genoa Serie A form:

Cagliari Serie A form:

Team News

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Genoa have several injury worries, as highlighted by the expected absences of Junior Messias and Caleb Ekuban due to thigh problems, while Koni De Winter, Pierluigi Gollini and Vitinha have muscle issues, and Ruslan Malinovskyi is out with a broken ankle.

Andrea Pinamonti has scored two of the Rossoblu’s last three goals on home soil, and the forward should start up top with Jeff Ekhator, leaving Mario Balotelli with a role on the bench.

Both Michel Adopo and Yerry Mina are available for selection again after serving their suspensions, and they are expected to start for Cagliari on Sunday.

Despite scoring twice this term, Roberto Piccoli is expected to lead the away side’s attack, keen to add to his meagre tally on Sunday.

Genoa possible starting lineup:
Leali; Sabelli, Vogliacco, Bani, Maturro; Zanoli, Badelj, Frendrup, Martin; Pinamonti, Ekhator

Cagliari possible starting lineup:
Sherri; Zappa, Mina, Luperto, Augello; Makoumbou, Adopo; Zortea, Viola, Luvumbo; Piccoli

We say: Genoa 1-1 Cagliari

It is unclear how Vieira’s arrival at Genoa affects Sunday’s outcome, especially given their winless home form. However, they should avoid losing to fellow strugglers Cagliari on the Frenchman’s managerial bow in Italian football.

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