Tonight 11 January at the Domus the three points are required to go back up
CAGLIARI. Cagliari and Bologna, the challenge of the decimated: if the absentees played between Covid, injuries and the African Cup (the challenge that will not be between Keita and Barrow) would still be a good match. There are more or less, to make a round figure, ten each. The most angry is Mihajlovic, even if at the press conference he almost took a step back in the name of “let’s play it anyway”. In Bologna, in summary, they are convinced that, given the situation, move the date of the match only two days later the postponement on Sunday made no sense. Cagliari is silent and does not enter the tussle, as if to find concentration for a match which, after the results of Spezia and Salernitana, becomes fundamental.
On the other hand, faced with a unanimous decision by the Lega Council, there is little to dispute. Because the line of the highest organ of Italian football is that: to play when possible. Cagliari, more than anything else, touches iron: they have eleven men to field, plus three real ones (with an adequate number of games in Serie A) changes if necessary. He cannot get help from the Primavera because Covid has also knocked on the under 20s. And Mazzarri is preparing to manage a match without much chance of changing him from the bench: in Genoa he had made two substitutions against the five of Sampdoria. Compared to the match with the Sampdoria, things have not changed that much: nothing Goldaniga stopped for Covid and awaiting medical examinations and signing. And no Nandez, also stopped by the positive buffer. Compared to the day of the Befana there is Dalbert, who served the disqualification, but not Faragó, who was sold to Lecce. Ceppitelli? Against Sampdoria he was the central holder, but at the end he had to hoist the white flag. Now he is out on paper, but he could still be enrolled because behind the trio Altare, Lovato, Carboni there is only Obert, 18 ‘with Fiorentina and 8’ with Inter for a total of half an hour in Serie A.
The market, on the other hand, for one reason or another, does not take off. And Cagliari should take an example and encouragement from Bologna itself: four years ago in January the Emilians seemed doomed. But with the purchases of Soriano and Sansone (absent today) things changed almost overnight. Mazzarri never gives the formation in advance, but in this case there is little to fantasize. A three-man defense, perhaps the youngest of the tournament with Altare, Lovato and Carboni. Then median to five with Bellanova and Lykogiannis (or Dalbert) outside plus Grassi, Deiola and Marin in between. Punte Pavoletti and Joao Pedro. In this more sanitary than sporting scenario for Cagliari there is the need to win, especially after the exploits of Spezia in Genoa. With a success, the rossoblu would be less than one from Venice, a team that, however, has one game less. To this picture must also be added the rebirth of Salernitana, now less than two from Cagliari, with two games to recover.