Cagliari-Atalanta gives the Rossoblu another chance to seal their survival bid – almost definitively. Cremonese's devastating defeat in Naples on Friday and Lecce's lackluster 0-0 draw in Verona on Saturday have kept the Rossoblu within striking distance of the relegation zone : 5 points ahead of the third-last team and 4 points ahead of what would currently be the first of the relegation zones, respectively. Therefore, securing a positive result today at 6:30 PM, against a top-tier opponent who may lack motivation, would be virtually decisive in securing their Serie A survival.
Fabio Pisacane has had ten days to prepare for the match, considering Cagliari haven't played since Friday the 17th against Inter. Michael Folorunsho is expected to return from the start, in a 3-4-2-1 formation with Sebastiano Esposito as the guaranteed attacking midfielder, and the option to start is between Gennaro Borrelli and Semih Kılıçsoy . The latter was – once again – encouraged by the coach in yesterday's press conference , after a long period of underperforming. As for former players, Marco Palestra (obviously) should start on the right and Michel Adopo in the midfield duo, with Ibrahim Sulemana instead being the odds-on favorite compared to Alessandro Deiola. Andrea Belotti, a native of Calcinate, Bergamo, who has never played for Atalanta, will be on the bench.
Here are the probable lineups for Cagliari-Atalanta: Juan Luca Sacchi of the Macerata section will referee the match, with kick-off at 6:30 pm. Live coverage of the match is available on unionesarda.it, with pre- and post-match commentary by Lele Casini from Unipol Domus on Radiolina .
Cagliari (3-4-2-1): Caprile; Zé Pedro, Mina, Juan Rodríguez; Palestra, Adopo, Deiola, Obert; S. Esposito, Folorunsho; Borrelli. Coach: Pisacane.
Atalanta (3-4-2-1): Carnesecchi; Scalvini, Djimsiti, Kolašinac; Bellanova, de Roon, Éderson, Zappacosta; De Ketelaere, Raspadori; Scamacca. Coach: Palladino.