Torino vs Cagliari prediction: ITALY: Serie A betting tips on match 2023-08-20 16:30.
After finishing tenth in each of the last two Serie A (SA) seasons under manager Ivan Jurić, trying to push for a European spot should be the aim for Torino this season. The Granata started their campaign well, beating FeralpiSalò in Coppa Italia action (2-1), and while the arrivals of Raoul Bellanova and Adrien Tameze handed them a boost, the big success of the summer was keeping hold of starlet Samuele Ricci.
It’s fair to say starting the new SA season at home doesn’t guarantee success for Torino who are winless in four of their last five home seasonal openers (W1), including the last three in a row. The home faithful will hope for more joy in general this season after the last campaign proved a real slog, with the Bulls winning just five games here (D7, L7), a record that consequently saw only five SA sides pick up fewer home points last term.
On Christmas Eve 2022, Cagliari were 14th in Serie B with just 22 points on the board as coach Claudio Ranieri returned to town. They secured 35 points in the following 19 rounds under his guidance which got the Sardinian team into the play-offs. From there they succeeded in their promotion target thanks to a very late goal in the final against Bari.
One of the reasons for their success was their notable improvements on the road, with Cagliari losing only two competitive away games since Ranieri's arrival (W4, D6), a run which saw them collect an impressive eight clean sheets. Albeit in a lower division, fans will hope their side can start to replicate that solid form back in SA here.
Players to watch: Torino’s top-scorer last term, Antonio Sanabria has scored each of his last five SA goals after the break. Czech winger and new Cagliari signing Jakub Jankto returns to Italy, where he played under Ranieri at Sampdoria. He scored eight goals across his last two SA seasons, whilst he also netted against Torino in 2016/17.
Hot stat: Three of Torino’s last four SA openers ended 2-1 (W2, L1).