Verona vs Cagliari prediction: ITALY: Serie A betting tips on match 2023-12-22 17:00.
Since starting the Serie A (SA) season with back-to-back victories, Hellas Verona have been trapped in a nightmare 14-match winless run (D5, L9) that leaves them rooted inside the drop zone ahead of this round. Their misery continued in a 1-0 defeat to Fiorentina in which they missed a penalty, and somehow failed to score from 19 shots and 2.6 xG!
That continued a common theme, as six of Verona’s nine SA defeats so far this term have come by a single-goal margin. Starting quicker may help the Mastiffs in that regard, as they’ve scored first just twice in SA this season, leading at half-time only once! They’ll be grateful for the visit of newly-promoted Cagliari then, as Verona are unbeaten in seven top-flight H2Hs (W4, D3), while they’ve only ever lost this fixture in SA once on home soil (W9, D7).
Claudio Ranieri’s Cagliari start the round two points and three places better off than their hosts but could spend Christmas inside the relegation zone if they’re defeated here and results elsewhere go against them. That’s a fate the Islanders will be determined to avoid as they look to stave off an immediate return to the second tier.
The best way to avoid that would be an improvement on the road, as Cagliari are without a top-flight away win 13 such matches (D4, L9) – a sequence that includes three consecutive defeats by a one goal margin on their travels. Another slow start could also be expected from the visitors, as they've scored just three times before half-time in SA this season – fewer than any other side.
Players to watch: Goals from Thomas Henry have proved crucial for Verona this season, as both sealed draws and arrived in the 70th minute or later. Leonardo Pavoletti has netted in successive games for Cagliari, including a 99th-minute winner against Sassuolo.
Hot stat: Cagliari are the only side yet to score in both halves of the same SA match this season.