Prediction: Cagliari vs Bari

Prediction: Cagliari to win 2-1

Best Odds: 8.70

Bookmaker: Zetbet

Cagliari and Bari will lock horns with each other in the first leg of the Serie B promotion playoff this week. The match between Claudio Ranieri’s side and Michele Mignani’s team will be held at the Unipol Domus and is scheduled to kick off at 7:30pm UK time on Thursday.

Cagliari

Cagliari got relegated from Serie A at the end of last season, and the situation looked dire at the time. However, things have been very good for Gli Isolani this campaign, especially since former Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri took over in January 2023.

Under the Italian tactician, Cagliari went from strength to strength in the final months of the season. They finished as high as fifth in the Serie B table this season with 60 points from 38 matches. Rossoblu were 13 points off the final automatic promotion spot and 11 points above eight-placed Venezia.

Cagliari had to then go through the gruelling playoffs. Claudio Ranieri’s team beat Venezia 2-1 in the preliminary round of the playoffs before beating Parma 3-2 at home in the first leg of their semi-final playoffs and then drawing the second leg 0-0 on the road. And now they will be keen on beating Bari over two legs in the Serie B playoff final.

Team News:

Gianluca Lapadula will lead the line for Cagliari. Edoardo Goldaniga will start in defence for the home team. Radunovic will start in goal, while Nandez, Viola, Luvumbo will be the three attacking midfielders.

Bari

Bari are a well-known club in Italy who frequently play in Serie A, and they will be determined to get the job done over two legs in the promotion playoff against Cagliari. Michele Mignani’s side did extremely in the ‘regular’ Serie B campaign this season, and now they are just two matches away from reaching the ‘Promised Land’.

I Galletti finished third in the Serie B table this season with 65 points from 38 matches. Bari finished eight points behind Genoa, who ended up second and clinched the second automatic promotion place for Serie A. That they ended up five points above Parma and Cagliari shows how good Bari have been this season.

Bari took on Südtirol in the semi-finals of the Serie A playoffs. Although they lost the first leg of the tie 1-0 in Bolzano, they won the second leg 1-0 at home and booked their place in the playoff final. The reason why Bari progressed to the final despite the tie ending 1-1 on aggregate is because they finished higher than Cagliari in the Serie B table.

Team News:

Giacomo Ricci is suspended for the match for Bari and will not be able to take part for his side. Cristian Galano and Raffaele Pucino are injured for the visiting team. Mirco Antenucci could join Walid Cheddira and Sebastiano Esposito up front.

Key Factors to Consider

• Cagliari have won 5 of their last 6 Serie B games.
• Cagliari have drawn 1 of their last 6 Serie B games.
• Bari have won 2 of their last 6 Serie B matches.
• Bari have lost 2 of their last 6 Serie B matches.
• Giacomo Ricci has scored 25 goals in all competitions for Cagliari.

Conclusion

Cagliari are in better form at the moment and are also at home for the match. It is unlikely that they will drop all three points in front of their own fans. It is very likely that Cagliari will win the first leg of the playoff final against Bari by a narrow margin.

Prediction: Cagliari to win 2-1

Best Odds: 8.70

Bookmaker: Zetbet