Cagliari vs Salernitana Predictions

• Salernitana have replaced Cagliari at the bottom of Serie A, losing their last 3 games without scoring.
• They have lost all but one of their away games in Serie A, the exception being a 2-1 win at struggling Venezia, who had 10 men.
• Cagliari ended their own 4-match losing run with an impressive draw at Sassuolo last time out.

Strugglers Meet in Sardinia

Cagliari finally stopped the rot last week, ending their 4-match losing run by twice coming from behind to earn a creditable draw at Sassuolo. To be fair to Walter Mazzarri’s men, their dire run in the preceding weeks had been comprised of difficult assignments against Fiorentina, Roma, Atalanta, and an impressive Bologna.

They now face a huge Friday night clash with the only team which, courtesy of goal difference, sits below them in Serie A. Salernitana have only won once since Stefano Colantuono returned as manager, and their survival hopes suffered a huge blow at the hands of fellow strugglers Sampdoria last weekend.

Salernitana have only scored 10 goals in Serie A this campaign, with joint top scorers Manadiu Coulibaly and Federico Bonazzoli managing just 2 apiece. Their away record is equally dire, with their only result of any kind coming at 10-man Venezia.

Hosts to Edge Six-Pointer?

Cagliari have endured a similarly poor season, matching Salernitana’s record of 28 goals conceded and ranking as Serie A’s second-least creative team, judging by expected goals.

However, In 8-goal top scorer Joao Pedro and Keita Balde, who scored an astonishing overhead kick last time out, the Sardinians have the attacking firepower to suggest they could build on last week’s draw against their fellow strugglers here, as Mazzarri looks to drag his side away from the relegation places.

Given the price on offer and Salernitana’s worrying lack of goals, I’m backing Cagliari to pick up their first win in over a month on Friday night. It should be tight, however, so a 1-0 home win seems a decent correct score prediction.