Cagliari vs Sassuolo Prediction: Go big on cards and low on goals in Sardinia

Two clubs aiming to break into the top half of Serie A come face to face on Thursday when Cagliari welcome Sassuolo to the Unipol Domus (18:30 local, 17:30 GMT, live on Betfred.com and DAZN).

Fabio Pisacane’s side battled back from a two-goal deficit to claim a point from Verona on Sunday, while the Neroverdi were narrow losers against Roma. My Cagliari vs Sassuolo predictions are below, alongside the latest team news and match odds from Betfred.

Team News

Yerry Mina could be back in the picture for Cagliari after missing the trip to Verona, but Boris Radunovic, Alessandro Di Pardo and Alessandro Deiola are all unlikely to return.

Andrea Belotti is out for the season with a torn ACL suffered against Inter.

For Sassuolo, Laurs Skjellerup, Giacomo Satalino are both a week away from being in contention once more. Tarik Muharemovic and Daniel Boloca could be considered soon, but Edoardo Pieragnolo is out for the season.

Filippo Romagna is also missing having been forced off in the first half of the loss to Roma, but Armand Lauriente came through his late cameo and will start.

Cagliari vs Sassuolo Odds

There’s almost nothing to split this pair in the minds of the Betfred oddsmakers. Cagliari are 13/8 for the win, which implies a 38.1% probability, while Sassulo can be backed at 15/8 (34.8%).

It’s 21/10 about the draw, with 10/11 offered in the Both Teams to Score market whether you’re for or against the notion.

Sassuolo’s Andrea Pinamonti is the 5/1 favourite to net the first goal, with Sebastiano Esposito, Gennaro Borrelli and Armand Lauriente all 11/2.

Today's Football Fixtures

Under 1.5 Total Goals @ 2/1

These are not two teams who are comfortable dominating possession. Cagliari average 45.5% of the ball in Serie A this season, Sassuolo 43.9%.

Both sides average just one goal a game, and Cagliari make just two big chances per match, Sassuolo 1.9.

And when they get into the opposition half, they generally don’t make the most of good positions, with neither averaging more than three accurate crosses per game (Cagliari three, Sassuolo 2.5).

All of which is to say, I am not expecting much in an attacking sense from this one. It’s two teams for whom three points would be a magnificent boost but one would be more than acceptable.

So the under 1.5-goal market appeals to me, with the 2/1 on offer seeming generous.

Football Odds

60-75 Booking Points @ 3/1

You could be forgiven for thinking that if I’m expecting the two teams to accept a point then there won’t be much niggle.

But, conversely, I reckon there will be just enough housery to keep the referee busy.

Think about it, anyone breaking through ought to expect a nudge here or a trip there as two sides who could do with just making sure they don’t lose try their best to limit the pressure on their goalmouth.

And when you consider these are two teams who have accumulated 39 cards between them in eight rounds of Serie A, I can well imagine the man in the middle taking at least six names.

It’s a value bet at 3/1.

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