AS Roma vs Cagliari 28/04/19

28 April 2019

AS Roma and Cagliari go head-to-head at the Stadio Olimpico this Saturday, as the hosts frantically chase all three points to keep their chances of securing the Champions Leauge promotion alive.

Although the hosts go into this meeting after racking up a four-game unbeaten Serie A run (W2, D2), they still sit one point adrift of fourth-placed AC Milan, with five league fixtures left to go. Although nine of Roma’s 15 SA wins have come at home, the Giallorossi have endured mixed fortunes in their last five league home outings (W3, D1, L1) with four of those clashes featuring over 2.5 match goals. Notably, Edin Dzeko and Co. have netted 36 of a total of 58 of their SA goals at this venue (62.07%) scoring 2+ match goals in 12 of 17 SA home meetings – league’s second-best attacking record. However, Spalletti’s main problem ahead of this showdown is Roma’s defensive woes that have seen them failed to preserve a clean slate in 14 SA home games while allowing 2+ match goals eight times in the process – league’s third-worst defensive record.

Meanwhile, the visitors have entered this round of fixtures unbeaten in their last three SA games (W2, D1) although both of those wins arrived at home. Far more comfortable at the Sardegna Arena, the Sardinians have secured just 10 of a total of 40 of their SA points on the road (25%). Cagliari’s difficulties in the final third have seen them failed to find the net in eight of 16 SA away games, with Rolando Maran’s players bagging just 11 goals on a miserly average of 0.69 goals scored per match. Another troubling fact for the traveling side is that they’ve managed to keep a clean sheet just once in six SA road clashes in 2019, conceding 2+ match goals three times in that period. What’s more, the Islanders have lost all three of their previous H2Hs with Roma at this venue, allowing four goals while failing to hit the net across those encounters.