Cagliari vs Fiorentina-For the last and potentially last time as Cagliari manager, Claudio Ranieri took to the touchline on Thursday as his side welcomed Fiorentina to the Unipol Domus in Serie A action.
Cagliari vs Fiorentina-The hosts assured themselves of top-flight survival by beating relegated Sassuolo last time out, but their visitors were held to a 2-2 draw by 2022-23 champions Napoli.
By relegating Sassuolo to second-tier football for 2024-25 on Sunday, where second-half strikes from Matteo Peretti and Gianluca Lapadula did the damage, Cagliari confirmed their place among the Italian elite for the new season, albeit one where Ranieri will not be overseeing proceedings from the dugout.
Ranieri was confirmed to step down at the end of the season after securing the Rossoneri’s place at Calcio’s top table, and the man who led Leicester City to an unlikely Premier League title in 2016 is now expected to step down. The game is complete.
Before the wise 72-year-old puts his foot up, though, Thursday’s hosts can move up two places in the rankings by beating their upcoming foes, as 15th-placed Rossallous sit just a point behind Hellas Verona and Lecce. 90 minutes of action left.
The relegation of Sassuolo marked the end of a five-game winless streak for Ranieri’s men, whose return to the top flight can be regarded as a success as they prepare for a second consecutive season in Serie A, with only three defeats in their last 13 matches. is over
Furthermore, each of those losses came on the road, and the Rossoblu went on to go into six games unbeaten to protect their own patch, despite the hosts scoring and conceding in 15 of Cagliari’s last 16 contests at the Unipol Domus.
The goals were also shared around the pitch as Fiorentina traveled to a Napoli side who had their 2022-23 crown in the way of Inter Milan, as Cristiano Biraghi and M’Bala Nzola La Viola looked to have done enough to beat Amir Rahmani’s opener.
However, Georgian talent Khvicha Kvaratskhelia followed up Biraghi’s free kick with a set-piece strike of his own to steal a piece of the spoils for Napoli, while Vincenzo Italiano’s side were up against it as they forced their way into Serie A’s top seven.
Eighth in the division with 54 points on the board, Fiorentina have a game in hand, six behind seventh-placed Lazio and will therefore need to win both games and hope the Biancocelesti slip up against relegated Sassuolo if they can get knocked out. Cagliari vs Fiorentina-Europa League standings.
Of course, La Viola will earn a ticket to Europe’s secondary competition by winning the 2023-24 Europa Conference League final – an interesting date with Olympiakos sandwiched between a Serie A tie with Cagliari and Atalanta BC – but their form outside of Artemio Franchi inspires a world of confidence. no
Cagliari vs Fiorentina-Indeed, the Italiano’s men have picked up just nine points from the last 36 on offer in away matches in Serie A, Cagliari vs Fiorentina-but they have avoided defeat in each of their last 6 meetings with Cagliari – keeping clean sheets in five of them – as they bid to deny Ranieri. Farewell to perfect football.
Whatever Ranieri does for his Cagliari swansong, he will have to do without centre-back Alberto Dossena, suspended for picking up his fifth yellow card of the campaign in beating Sassuolo.
Jakub Jankto (muscle) and Antoine Makoumbou (knee) are taking up beds in the Rossoblu infirmary, and the hosts lost long-serving Nahitan Nandez in the dying embers of Sunday’s success, but it is unclear how serious his problem is(Cagliari vs Fiorentina).
Cagliari vs Fiorentina-The 28-year-old Uruguayan could therefore be ruled out of the field ahead of an expected move to Roma this summer, with Adam Obert fit to deputize in Dossena’s absence at the back.
In contrast, Fiorentina manager Italiano has no suspension concerns for Thursday’s tie, and the only fitness concern for the hosts is attacker Ricardo Sotil, whose shoulder injury means he will miss this game and the Europa Conference League final.
Jonathan Iacon and Andrea Bellotti both picked up knocks to come off the bench against Napoli, though, and with plenty of time to recover before the meeting with Olympiakos on May 29, the Italiano won’t be averse to going full force against the Serie A top seven. bet
Nzola can therefore stick with Belotti at the tip of the attack thanks to his strike against the Partenopei, although Ikone is certainly a candidate to drop Christian Koume to the bench(Cagliari vs Fiorentina).
Cagliari vs Fiorentina Lineup:
Cagliari Probable Starting Lineup:
Scouffet; Zappa, Obert, Mina, Augello; Deola, Sulemana; Nandez, Shomurodov, Gaetano; Lapadula
Fiorentina’s probable starting lineup:
Terraciano; Dodo, Milenkovic, Martinez Quarta, Biraghi; Bonaventura, Arthur; Gonzalez, Beltran, Econ; Enzola
We say: Cagliari 1-1 Fiorentina
Cagliari vs Fiorentina-Playing at home to Cagliari means goals at both ends of the pitch, and the added incentive of giving Ranieri the send-off he deserves will be an incredibly powerful motivation for the Rossoblu to finish the season on a high.
Meanwhile, Fiorentina’s exploits on the road often leave much to be desired, and while minds turn to the Europa Conference League final, Ranieri’s side can feel hopeful of stealing a point before the 72-year-old’s illustrious career runs out.