Cagliari vs. Genoa opens matchday 28
Cagliari and Genoa, who are six points apart, will open matchday 28 at Unipol Domus The home side, who are three points off the relegation zone, want to get back to winning ways after successive defeats to Juventus and Bologna. While Cagliari have lost two in a row, Genoa have only won a single point in their last two, last week in a draw against Empoli after losing to Inter. They will be looking to win to put distance between themselves and the danger zone.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
This will be the 50th match between Cagliari and Genoa in Serie A, the head-to-head so far stands at 17 Sardinian victories, 19 Ligurian wins, and 13 draws. After the 2-2 draw in the reverse fixture, Cagliari and Genoa could draw both meetings in a season in the Italian top-flight for the first time in the three points for a win era (since 1994/95). In general, only twice before have there been multiple draws in a row between these two teams in Serie A, a run of three between May 1991 and April 1992, and two matches in 1993/94. 14 of Cagliari's 17 victories over Genoa in Serie A (82%) have come in home matches. They boast a home success rate of 58% against Grifone in the tournament (14/24 - D4 L6); among teams they have faced more than 10 times in front of their own fans in the Italian top-flight, only against Vicenza do their have a better rate (71% - 10/14).
DID YOU KNOW?
Patrick Vieira made his debut as Genoa coach in Serie A in the 13th MD of this campaign against Cagliari and, since then, Genoa have won 68% of their total points in the current season (21/31). By percentage, only Roma (70% – 30/43) have obtained more points than Grifone in this period of the top-flight. With 21 points in 15 league games as Genoa manager, Patrick Vieira boasts the best average in the three points per win era in Serie A of any manager with the club (since 1994/95) at 1.40 points per game. Only Monza (112) have recorded fewer high turnovers than Cagliari (132) in Serie A this campaign. On the other hand, among teams occupying the bottom half of the table, none have recorded more than Genoa (179 high turnovers, level with Empoli). Genoa have scored the highest ratio of their goals from inside the penalty area in the current Serie A campaign (96% – 24/25); on the other hand, only Venezia (23% – 5/22) have scored a higher proportion from distance than Cagliari (19% – 5/27) in the current championship.
PLAYERS
Roberto Piccoli is Cagliari's top scorer in Serie A this season with seven goals in 27 appearances; if he scores against Genoa, he will equal his overall tally of goals in the three previous seasons in the tournament combined (eight in 74 matches between 2021/22 and 2023/24). Furthermore, after his goal against Bologna in the last MD, Piccoli could score in two matches in a row in the league for the first time since last November (against Genoa and Hellas Verona). Two of the four goals scored by Morten Frendrup in Serie A have come against Cagliari. The 2001 born player has made the most recoveries (146) and the most tackles (87) of any outfielder in the competition this term, as well as having won 143 duels (the most of any midfielder).
DISCIPLINE
Suspended: none Cautioned: Marin and Mina (Cagliari); Martin (Genoa)
REFEREE
FABBRI (GIALLATINI – COLAROSSI) IV: MONALDI VAR: MARINI AVAR: GARIGLIO
UPCOMING MATCHES IN SERIE A
Roma-Cagliari (Sunday 16 March, 16.00 CET) Genoa-Lecce (Friday 14 March, 18.00 CET) (Photo Getty Images)