Salernitana vs Cagliari prediction: ITALY: Serie A betting tips on match 2023-10-21 13:00.
Having found themselves in and around the relegation shake-up in the last two Serie A (SA) seasons, it’s probably no surprise to see Salernitana in the drop zone after eight rounds (D3, L5). Such a poor start spelled the end of Paulo Sousa’s Salernitana tenure, with Filippo Inzaghi replacing him in the dugout, a man who won SA, the UEFA Champions League, Coppa Italia and World Cup in an illustrious playing career.
Replicating such success in the Salernitana dugout is highly unlikely, and Inzaghi’s primary focus will almost certainly be on improving a dismal SA managerial record from his last two managerial spells in the top-flight (W9, D20, L30). His last personal home SA win came whilst in charge of Benevento in December 2020 (2-0), a repeat of which seems highly unlikely based on Salernitana’s failure to ever beat Cagliari in the top-flight (D2, L2).
Cagliari ought to cling onto that historical omen as best they can, as they’re the only SA side to perform worse so far this term than their hosts (D2, L6). Unlike Salernitana, Cagliari haven’t pulled the trigger on their boss yet, with Claudio Ranieri remaining in charge for the time being, although should they slump to a fifth successive defeat here, it’s hard to see how he survives much longer.
Conceding goals has largely been behind Cagliari’s plight this term, with a whopping 16 hitting the back of their net already in SA. When you couple that leaky back line with a misfiring attack, the Islanders have a big problem, and unless they manage to keep a clean sheet here it’s difficult to see them ending a nine match winless SA away run (D3, L6) given those games yielded just three goals in their favour.
Players to watch: Jovane Cabral is the only Salernitana player to score across their last six SA matches, with his two career SA scoring appearances ending in draws. Despite an injury ruling him out of his international duties with Angola, Cagliari’s Zito Luvumbo should be available to build on his two game opening SA strikes this season.
Hot stat: Ahead of the round, no SA side have conceded more goals after the 75th minute than Salernitana’s six.