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The Italian Serie A returns to action for the first time this year on Thursday when Sampdoria play host to Cagliari at the Luigi Ferraris Stadium.
The hosts will head into the game seeking to get one over the visitors, having failed to taste victory in each of their last three encounters.
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Sampdoria turned in a performance of the highest quality as they came from behind to salvage a 1-1 draw against AS Roma last time out.
They are now unbeaten in four consecutive outings, claiming two draws and two wins, including a 2-1 win over Torino in the Coppa Italia.
With 20 points from 19 games, Sampdoria are currently 15th in the Serie A table, level on points with Udinese.
Meanwhile, Cagliari’s horror run in Serie A continued last time out as they fell to a 2-0 defeat against Italian heavyweights Juventus.
Walter Mazzarri’s men have now failed to taste victory in any of their last 11 league games, losing seven and picking up four draws.
Cagliari are currently in the relegation zone, five points away from safety, after claiming just 10 points from 19 outings.
Sampdoria vs Cagliari Head-To-Head
Cagliari boast a slight upper hand in the history of this fixture, claiming 15 wins from the last 45 meetings between the sides. Sampdoria have picked up two fewer wins, while 17 games have ended all square.
Sampdoria Form Guide: L-W-W-D-D
Cagliari Form Guide: D-L-W-L-L
Sampdoria vs Cagliari Team News
Sampdoria
Mikkel Damsgaard, Ronaldo Vieira, Mohammed Ihattaren and Ernesto Torregrossa are all recuperating from injuries and will sit out Thursday’s game.
Injured: Mikkel Damsgaard, Ronaldo Vieira, Ernesto Torregrossa, Mohammed Ihattaren
Suspended: None
Cagliari
The hosts will be without Kevin Strootman, Sebastian Walukiewicz, Marko Rog and Riccardo Ladinetti, who have all been sidelined through injuries. Diego Godin and Martin Caceres both missed the game against Juventus last time out and remain unavailable.
Injured: Kevin Strootman, Sebastian Walukiewicz, Marko Rog, Riccardo Ladinetti
Suspended: None
Unavailable: Diego Godin, Martin Caceres
Sampdoria vs Cagliari Predicted XI
Sampdoria Predicted XI (4-4-2): Emil Audero; Bartosz Bereszyński, Maya Yoshida, Omar Colley, Tommaso Augello; Antonio Candreva, Adrien Silva, Albin Ekdal, Morten Thorsby; Manolo Gabbiadini, Francesco Caputo
Cagliari Predicted XI (3-5-2): Alessio Cragno; Andrea Carboni, Luca Ceppitelli, Gabriele Zappa; Dalbert Henrique, Nahitan Nandez, Alessandro Deiola, Alberto Grassi, Raoul Bellanova; Keita Balde, Joao Pedro
Sampdoria vs Cagliari Prediction
Both sides are currently in the bottom half of the table after an underwhelming first half of the season. Sampdoria are unbeaten in their last three league games and we predict they will see off a struggling Cagliari side who have conceded the second-most goals in the division.
Prediction: Sampdoria 2-0 Cagliari
