Juventus Vs Cagliari Prediction: La Vecchia Badminton Must Return Soon On The Way Of Victory

Francisco Conceicao, is back bright with Juventus (photo: x @juventusfc)

JAKARTA - Juventus must immediately rise from disappointment in European competitions when they travel to Cagliari headquarters in Serie A on Sunday evening, February 23. After being knocked out of the Champions League by PSV Eindhoven, the Bianconeri are now focusing on securing the top four positions to return to Europe's highest competition next season.

Juventus' hopes of progressing further in Europe were dashed after a 1-3 defeat in the second leg against PSV Eindhoven, despite having taken a 1-0 aggregate lead. Perematist's goal from Timothy Weah had given hope, but two additional goals from PSV confirmed the elimination of Thiago Motta's side. Now, they have to shift their focus to Serie A, where they are competing fiercely with Lazio, AC Milan, Bologna, and Fiorentina for the top four.

Juventus are currently in fourth place and will try to win their first consecutive away win of the season. They also have a positive record against Cagliari, with five wins in a row before a draw in the last two meetings. However, they remain seeded given their 4-0 win over Cagliari in the Coppa Italia in December 2024.

On the other hand, Cagliari showed performance improvement by holding Atalanta's draw without a goal last week. After four consecutive defeats at the end of 2024, Davide Nicola's side have only lost twice to their last seven Serie A matches, keeping them away from the relegation zone. Rossoblu are now eyeing a straight home win after beating Parma 2-1 in the previous match.

However, historical records do not side with Cagliari. Since 2010, they have only won once from 26 Serie A meetings against Juventus, with 20 defeats. However, the improved home performance this season could be the capital to provide fierce resistance.

Juventus suffered additional injuries after losing to PSV, with Renato Veiga suffering a tendon injury and having to miss out. Their defensive line also lost Bremer and Juan Cabal, while Pierre Kalulu is still recovering. Andrea Cambiaso has just returned from an ankle injury and can be played.

The Teun Koopmeiners midfielder who was pulled out against PSV due to illness is expected to fit, while Douglas Luiz is likely to return after recovering from a muscle injury. When Dusan Vlahovic was not the first choice, Juventus' front line will most likely be led by Randal Kolo Muani, who set his record as the first Juventus player in 13 years to be involved in a goal in his first four games.

In the Cagliari camp, Roberto Piccoli will be the mainstay on the front lines. Interestingly, all 19 goals in Serie A were scored against different teams, including one goal against Juventus in May 2023. Davide Nicola is not expected to change the line-up much given his team's positive performance.

Which time Juventus tried to get up and Cagliari wanted to continue their positive trend, this match is expected to be interesting. Can Juve go back to winning ways, or will Cagliari create a surprise at the Sardegna Arena?

Cagliari (4-5-1): Caprile; Zappa, Mina, Luperto, Augello; Zortea, Adopo, Makoumbou, Marin, Felici; Piccoli.

Juventus (4-2-3-1): Di Gregorio; Savona, Gatti, Kelly, Cambiaso; Thuram, Koopmeiners; Conceicao, McKennie, Yildiz; Kolo Muani.