Juventus Vs Cagliari: Match Preview, Stats & Possible Line-Ups

Cristiano Ronaldo and Juventus return to action on Saturday night ahead of their must-win fixture against Cagliari in Serie A. Juventus Vs Cagliari comes on matchday 8 of the 2020-21 Serie A campaign.

The Bianconeri welcome Cagliari to the Allianz Stadium aiming to maintain their unbeaten start to the Serie A season. The Old Lady are and the visitors are separated by just three points in the league standings. While Juve sit in the fifth-place on 13 points from seven games, Cagliari are six places behind in 11th position.

With the current form of the visitors in front of the goal, they should be able to threaten Andrea Pirlo’s injury-plagued defense. They also won the previous meeting with the Bianconeri 2-0 at Sardinia back in July.

Juventus Form and Stats

In the last game before the international football, Juventus were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw with Lazio, following Felipe Caicedo’s last-gasp equalizer after Cristiano Ronaldo had put them in front early in the first half. It was Juve’s fourth stalemate already this season and it knocked them off the top-four. Fortunately for them, AC Milan failed to beat Hellas Verona in the same matchday after they played out a draw, leaving their four-point deficit to the leaders unchanged.

However, the manager knows that anything short of victory at home to Cagliari this night will be unacceptable. Despite going unbeaten in the first seven league games, picking up only three victories are below the team’s expected return.

Also, a victory this night will set the Old Lady up nicely for their tight winter schedule. Under a space of one month between this Saturday until December 22, Juventus will see out 10 games in the Serie A and Champions League at the ratio of one game every three days.

But things don’t get easier either for the rookie manager, as he was handed a fresh injury blow to two of his veteran center backs in Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci during the international break. Although Matthijs de Light has returned to full training and could partner with Merih Demiral.

Meanwhile, Juventus’ superb head-to-head advantage against Cagliari and their strong home form in the league suggest that a victory is expected for the Bianconeri at the Allianz Stadium tonight.

Juventus Team’s Key Stats

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored three goals and assisted two more in three league games against Cagliari
Juventus have won seven of their last eight league games against Cagliari
Won 29 of their last 36 league games (D6 L1)
Scored three or more goals in their last four home games against Cagliari in all competitions.

Editor’s Picks

La Liga Doesn’t Miss Ronaldo And He Hasn’t Changed Serie A Since He joined – La Liga President Tebas

Cristiano Ronaldo Is Faster Than Me Right Now – Usain Bolt

Only Injuries Can Stop Cristiano Ronaldo – Luis Figo

Manchester United Make A Surprise Move For Cristiano Ronaldo

Cagliari Form and Stats

Since taking over the Cagliari team in August, Eusebio Di Francesco has rejuvenated the squad to an attacking threat. The former AS Roma boss has led the club to four wins in their last five games in all competitions scoring 12 goals in the meantime.

The team’s improvement in the final third has probably been their biggest change so far. It has led Giovanni Simeone, son of Atletico Madrid boss, Diego, and Joao Pedro to supply the goals on a more regular basis. The sensational duo could cause problems for the injury-stricken Juventus defense in Allianz Stadium.

Meanwhile, it could be Simeone’s night as he look to reach an important milestone by scoring his 50th goal in the Serie A. Plus, the 25-year old forward has contributed four goals and an assist in his last four league outings.

It is also important to note that Cagliari always tends to leave things late as they had only led once at half-time in their last five outings despite winning four of them. They, on the other hand, boast the league’s fourth-worst defensive record with 15 conceded goals, which suggests the visitors may struggle to contain Cristiano Ronaldo and Juventus at Turin.

Cagliari Team’s Key Stats

Joao Pedro and Giovanni Simeone have both scored five goals in seven league games this season
Cagliari have won four of their last five games in all competitions
They have scored over 2.5 goals in six of their last seven away league games
Lost five of their last seven away games in all competitions (W1 D1)

Juventus Vs Cagliari: Team News

Juventus: Andrea Pirlo will be heading into this game without veteran defenders Giorgio Chiellini & Leonardo Bonucci, while Aaron Ramsey is also sidelined.

Cagliari: Luca Ceppitelli, Charalampos Lykogiannis, and Paolo Farago are all out.