Cagliari vs Lazio prediction: ITALY: Serie A betting tips on match 2024-02-09 14:00.
Cagliari didn’t start their back-to-back clashes with Rome-based sides well when conceding the quickest goal of this Serie A season (61 seconds) on the way to a 4-0 defeat against Roma on Monday, their third consecutive league loss. Now it’s Lazio who are coming to town, and with Cagliari winless in H2Hs since 2013 (D3, L14) and ending the previous round in the relegation zone, the immediate future of Claudio Ranieri’s side appears shaky.
When considering that Cagliari have now opened the scoring in just one of their last ten Serie A matches (W2, D2, L6), their awful start against Roma is probably no surprise. While it’s true that Cagliari have picked up a vast majority of their 18 points at home (15), only three came against current top ten sides (W1, L4), illustrating the difficulty they’ve had against the league’s better clubs.
Just as Lazio head coach Maurizio Sarri feared, their trip to Saudi Arabia for the Super Cup semi-finals ruined their fine winning streak. In fact, the Biancocelesti are now winless in three competitive outings after a 3-1 defeat against Atalanta last round, which sees them start this round in ninth place with a five-point gap to the top four.
However, the visitors avoided defeat in each of their three away league matches prior to their latest trip to Bergamo, scoring inside the opening 25 minutes in each, which could be their key to success here given Cagliari’s woes during the early stages of a match. In addition to their strong H2H record, Lazio also boast an average of two points per Serie A game (W3, D1, L1) against teams that started this round 15th or lower.
Players to watch: Nicolas Viola scored Cagliari’s last home goal, with all four of his strikes this term arriving after the break. Lazio captain Ciro Immobile converted a penalty for his first goal since late November last round, whilst he has netted three first-half goals across the last four H2Hs.
Hot streak: Lazio scored first in each of their seven away league matches against teams starting this round outside the top six (W4, D1, L2).