Cagliari vs Torino prediction: ITALY: Serie A betting tips on match 2024-10-19 16:00.
[p]After collecting four points from their last two Serie A matches, including a 1-1 draw in which they became the first team this league season to score against Juventus, Cagliari lifted themselves out of the relegation zone prior to the international break. Some serenity has returned to Davide Nicola’s side after they recovered to collect four more points than they had at this stage last term, when they avoided the drop by a single point in the end.[/p]
[p]Cagliari’s current positive momentum started with a 1-0 Coppa Italia home win over Cremonese, which ended a dreadful four-game winless run at Unipol Domus (D2, L2) where the Sardinian outfit scored just once. A solitary win across their last eight home matches against upcoming opponents Torino (D2, L5) suggests that their first home triumph of this Serie A edition may not necessarily arrive this weekend.[/p]
[p]Back-to-back 3-2 league defeats against Lazio and Inter halted Torino’s fine start to the 2024/25 campaign (W3, D2, L2). Head coach Paolo Vanoli now has to deal with a potentially even bigger problem as key striker Duván Zapata, who has already scored four competitive goals this term, suffered a serious knee injury in their last match that could leave him sidelined until the end of the season.[/p]
[p]Despite their latest loss against Inter, the visitors remain fearless travellers as they have now scored eight goals across their opening four away league matches (W2, D1, L1) – almost 50% of their away goals tally of last season (18)! Expect Torino to make a late impact one way or another as they have scored beyond the 75th minute in each of their last three Serie A away matches, securing important wins at Venezia (1-0) and Verona (3-2) prior to giving Inter a scare.[/p]
[p]Players to watch: After converting a penalty against Juventus, Cagliari’s Răzvan Marin has netted in or after the 75th minute in back-to-back league games, with all seven of his Serie A career goals arriving after the break. With Zapata injured, Nikola Vlašić’s return from the sidelines has come at the right time for Torino, as the Croatian player has either scored or assisted in his first two matches back.[/p]
[p]Hot stat: Cagliari remain the only side yet to score in the opening 30 minutes of a Serie A game this season.[/p]
[p][i]Written by Tomáš Vlasák[/i][/p]