Serie A Preview: Cagliari vs Inter – Team News, Line-ups & Prediction | OneFootball

Saturday’s Serie A action caps off at the Unipol Domus as perennial strugglers Cagliari take on title-bidding Inter in a surprising top-half clash. Despite contrasting ambitions, the Sardinians hold a one-point lead over their upcoming opponents heading into this round.

Cagliari entered the 2025/26 season as one of the hottest relegation candidates. Last term, they finished 15th, equaling their second joint-best top-flight finish since 2017/18. However, they’ve established themselves as early contenders for a top-half place, something they last achieved in 2008/09.

New coach Fabio Pisacane has enjoyed a superb start to his maiden experience in senior management, inspiring Cagliari to seven points in the opening four rounds (W2, D1, L1). Optimism soared even higher in midweek Coppa Italia action as the Islanders thumped second-tier Frosinone 4-1 at this stadium.

Inter’s visit to the Unipol Domus presents Cagliari with an entirely different challenge. Pressured to take three points after suffering back-to-back defeats at the hands of Udinese and Juventus, Cristian Chivu’s side secured a narrow 2-1 home victory over newly promoted Sassuolo last weekend.

That was their second consecutive win in all competitions following a 2-0 away triumph at Ajax in their curtain-raising Champions League fixture. However, there’s no room for complacency. Indeed, the Nerazzurri already trail defending champions Napoli by six points, facing the risk of slipping out of the Scudetto picture in the early season.

Match Preview

Cagliari

After picking up just one point on the opening two Serie A matchdays, Cagliari have got the better of Parma and Lecce via an aggregate 4-1 scoreline. In doing so, they’ve put themselves in a position to win three successive top-flight matches for the first time since April 2021. Yet, this has not been a favorable match-up for the Islanders by any stretch of the imagination.

Indeed, a 3-0 rout in this corresponding fixture last season extended Cagliari’s losing home streak against Inter to five games. Furthermore, Pisacane’s men have claimed just one win across their last 15 meetings with the San Siro giants in Serie A at any venue (D2, L12), highlighting the size of the task awaiting them this weekend.

Defying that unwanted trend would see Cagliari win back-to-back home outings in Serie A for the first time since November 2023. The hosts’ bounce-back ability has been impressive this season, with no Serie A side winning more home points from losing positions than Cagliari’s four so far.

Inter

Despite Inter’s recent uptick in form, Chivu remains under scrutiny. Though the 44-year-old can draw confidence from Inter’s formidable road record against Cagliari, his men have stuttered outside San Siro recently. For context, Inter have only won three of their last ten league matches away from home (D3, L4).

It’s also worth noting that they scored and conceded precisely 13 goals during that unenviable stretch. Still, they have netted at least two goals on both road trips this season, finding the net before halftime on each occasion. Those first-half strikes served as match openers against Ajax and Juventus.

Another flying start would be most welcome. That rings particularly true when factoring in Inter’s sterling defensive record at the Unipol Domus. They have conceded an average of 0.6 goals per game across their last five visits to this venue. Moreover, they bagged at least two goals on each of their last five trips to Sardinia, underlining their dominance in this fixture.

Team News

Cagliari are likely to miss star wingback Gabriele Zappa, who has been sidelined from training this week due to injury. Meanwhile, Zito Luvumbo could be in contention after a brief spell on the sidelines, yet will will probably start on the bench.

On the other hand, Inter welcomed talismanic striker Lautaro Martinez back from a minor back injury in midweek. El Toro will, in all likelihood, take Francesco Pio Esposito’s place in attack. Yet, Ange-Yoan Bonny is out with an ankle problem.

Cagliari vs Inter Potential Starting Line-ups

Cagliari (4-3-1-2): Caprile; Palestra, Mina, Luperto, Obert; Adopo, Prati, Deiola; Folorunsho; Esposito, Belotti.

Inter (3-5-2): Sommer; Akanji, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Sucic, Dimarco; Thuram, Martinez.

Cagliari vs Inter Prediction

This game has all the makings of a must-win clash for Inter. Indeed, any potential slip-up would add more pressure on Chivu and potentially land a knockout blow on their title hopes. Cagliari will not go down without a fight, yet Inter’s superior quality and depth should give them the edge here.