Now the stop for the national teams, then at the resumption of the championship the trip to Udine for the rossoblù
CAGLIARI. Zero points and zero goals in three games. And eight challenges between April and May to reach salvation. It will be – except for sensational comebacks from below or falls from above – a three-way flight with Genoa and Venice. Cagliari are in front with 25 points, but the lagoons, at 22, have to play an extra game, with a Salernitana who – when the recovery match is established – could already be out of the game. Venice is the team that is worst of all with four losses in a row, the last very heavy at home with Sampdoria. Genoa, at 22 together with Zanetti’s team, are instead in the best form of all: after the zero to six with Fiorentina in mid-January, they have collected seven evenings in a row plus one victory (in ten) against Turin. The morale in the Grifone house is a thousand. Wednesday begins the last “long” preparation (there is a break) of this championship.
Mazzarri will have more than half the team to think about Udinese. The national teams (despite the ranking there are nine plus two of the youth teams) will all return only a few days before the match against Friuli. Starting with Cragno and Joao Pedro, at Mancini’s disposal until the match (eventual) of 29 against the winner between Turkey and Portugal for the world playoffs. They are two pillars of the team: they will not struggle to go from blue to red and blue in an instant. Keita also engaged in qualifying for Qatar: the last match is Egypt-Senegal on the 29th. Bellanova, Lovato and Obert (under 21 Italy and Slovakia) will return on March 30th, while Carboni (under 20) could be at home as early as 29th. Ditto for Kourfalidis, attached to the Greek national team. A golden moment for the midfielder who yesterday dragged the Primavera to victory against Bologna with the goal of two to one. Return on the 30th instead for Marin engaged in Israel the day before with the shirt of Romania.
Training in reduced ranks: it will be an opportunity to try to “pamper” and relaunch Pereiro (for him no national team), a little down after the boom a few weeks ago. Chance also for Rog: the former Napoli is making progress visibly. And even if he has a few minutes on his legs he could be the right man for the hot finals that await Cagliari from now until the end of the tournament. To monitor the conditions of Nandez, Strootman and Walukiewicz: seeing them on the pitch will be very difficult. (HANDLE).