Saturday’s Serie A programme begins in Udine, where Udinese and Cagliari arrive with sharply different recent rhythms but the same need to give their season a clearer direction. At the Bluenergy Stadium, Kosta Runjaic’s side must halt a run of two consecutive defeats, while Fabio Pisacane’s Cagliari can build on one of the club’s most impressive starts in decades.
The coach and the club
For Runjaic, the afternoon is an early test of response. Udinese have lost their last two league matches and return home looking for the points that can restore calm around a campaign which had begun with more promise.
Cagliari travel north with greater momentum. A win would be their fourth in the opening five rounds, a standard the rossoblù have not reached since the season in which they won the Scudetto. It is a significant marker for Pisacane and his squad, though it also makes this visit to Udine a match in which the start must be defended rather than simply celebrated.
The match kicks off at 15:00 on Saturday 19 September at the Bluenergy Stadium. Marco Guida of the Torre Annunziata section has been appointed referee.
Likely line-ups
Runjaic is expected to set Udinese up in a 3-4-2-1 formation, with Keinan Davis leading the line and Nicolò Zaniolo plus Jurgen Ekkelenkamp operating behind him.
- Udinese: Okoye; Abankwah, Kabasele, Ebosse; Vojvoda, Karlstrom, Miller, Kamara; Zaniolo, Ekkelenkamp; Davis.
- Coach: Kosta Runjaic.
- Unavailable: Palma, Solet, Arizala and Piotrowski.
Among the Udinese alternatives are Mrozek, Padelli, Bertola, Lovric, Zarraga, Gomez, Chakvetadze, Vinciati, Jovanovic, Gueye and Bayo.
Pisacane’s expected Cagliari selection includes Elia Caprile in goal, with Yerry Mina and Zè Pedro among the defensive options. Mendy is set to lead the attack, supported by Michel Adopo and Jacopo Fazzini.
- Cagliari: Caprile; Zè Pedro, Mina, Rodriguez, Obert; Romano, Winks, Deiola; Adopo, Fazzini; Mendy.
- Coach: Fabio Pisacane.
- Unavailable: Idrissi, Felici, Trepy and Nzola.
Radunovic, Sherri, Kofler, Grandu, Sugawara, Aurelio, Liteta, Gagliardini, Akarakiri, Sulev, Massolin, Ciervo, Fadera, Maldini, Kevin Carlos and Sugamele are available from the visitors’ bench. Neither side has a suspended player or anyone one booking away from suspension.
A Saturday afternoon with different pressures
The fixture will be shown live exclusively on DAZN for subscribers. Yet the larger point lies on the grass in Udine: Udinese need to prevent two losses from becoming a pattern, while Cagliari have the chance to confirm that their fast opening is more than a bright September story.
