Pisa vs Cagliari – News and Probable Lineups

Pisa, currently at the bottom of the Serie A standings, must make a significant turnaround beginning this Sunday as they host 14th-placed Cagliari at Arena Garibaldi in matchweek 29.

With a gap of 10 points from safety, the Nerazzurri’s return to the top tier appears to be poised for a swift end unless they can pull off a miracle, as they invite their visitors from Sardinia to Tuscany in hopes of securing a mere second win of the season, and their first since November.

Match overview

The jubilance was palpable when Pisa marked their return to top-level football after 34 years, yet the Black and Blues are set for a challenging season in Serie A.

No other team has accumulated fewer wins than the solitary victory secured by the Tuscan outfit, whose record of 48 goals conceded stands as the third worst in the league, with Torino and second-bottom Hellas Verona both allowing 49.

The managerial shift, with Oscar Hiljemark taking over from Alberto Gilardino at the beginning of February, has yet to ignite a turnaround, and the outlook for the basement-dwelling team appears more dire than ever.

Should they be relegated, fans will lament their squad’s failure to convert many of their 12 draws into wins, which has been unmatched in Serie A this season.

Even their draws have vanished, as the team has endured four straight losses following a goalless stalemate against Verona during Hiljemark’s inaugural match in command.

Of greater concern is their inability to find the back of the net in three of those recent defeats and in four of the last five under the Swedish coach, having scored in five of the preceding six encounters.

Cagliari hasn’t been particularly impressive either, as Fabio Pisacane’s squad has only managed to gather two points from their last five outings—just one more than Pisa—placing the Sardinians third from bottom in the form table.

Pisacane’s side has netted twice during this stretch while conceding seven, a statistic quite similar to that of their hosts heading into Sunday’s encounter.

The current five-match winless streak was likely not anticipated when the Isolani secured three consecutive victories from mid to late January, achieving clean sheets in wins over Juventus (1-0) and Verona (4-0), flanked by a 2-1 victory at Fiorentina.

However, the Rossoblu have since struggled to score in three of their last five league encounters, though they did manage to find the net during a 1-1 draw with Parma and a 2-1 loss against Como in their last two matches, suggesting a potential return to form in front of goal.

While they enjoy a buffer from the relegation zone, their six-point cushion could become precarious if teams below start accumulating points.

Given that his team isn’t completely out of danger, Pisacane will be looking for favorable results to secure a continued presence in the top flight.

Team News

Pisa seems to have avoided any new injuries following last week’s 4-0 defeat against Juventus, leaving them without Isak Vural (knee), Simone Scuffet (muscle), and Daniel Denoon (ankle).

The prospects for the Nerazzurri largely depend on five-goal striker Stefano Moreo, although the 32-year-old has not registered a goal since the 6-2 defeat to Inter de Milão in January, marking a stretch of six matches.

Matteo Tramoni and Mehdi Leris also possess the ability to make a difference, each contributing to four goals this season, two fewer than Moreo.

On the other hand, Cagliari, affected by injuries, sees Sebastiano Esposito and Semih Kilicsoy as their leading scorers, both having netted four times, while Gennaro Borrelli has three goals.

However, two of these key players—Esposito and Borrelli—will miss this weekend’s match due to suspension and injury, respectively.

Additionally, Andrea Belotti, Luca Mazzitelli, Gianluca Gaetano, Yerry Mina, Mattia Felici, Alessandro Deiola, and Riyad Idrisi are all sidelined.

Pisa probable starting XI:

Nicolas; Calabresi, Caracciolo, Coppola; Toure, Marin, Aebischer, Loyola, Angori; Moreo, Durosinmi

Cagliari probable starting XI:

Caprile; Ze Pedro, Rodriguez, Dossena, Obert; Adopo, Sulemana, Liteta; Gym, Folorunsho, Kilicsoy

While a draw—which would mark Pisa’s 13th in Serie A—seems the most likely outcome, the Nerazzurri’s urgent need for points alongside Cagliari’s significant injury challenges suggests we might predict a home win, thereby ending Tuscany’s wait for a victory spanning four months.