Overview
After drawing in the first leg at Stadio Olimpico, Atalanta and Lazio entered the second leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final in Bergamo with the goal of winning a ticket to the final against Inter Milan.
Raffaele Palladino's team fell into a disadvantage when the away team opened the score in the 84th minute, thereby leading 3-2 after two legs. However, true to the bravery of a "cup expert", Mario Pasalic quickly equalized, bringing the match into extra time. However, in the penalty shootout, the home team could not take advantage of the opportunity and accepted a 1-2 defeat.
This is a disappointing week for Bergamo fans, as the opportunity to compete for a UEFA Champions League spot is almost closed. In Serie A, Atalanta is 9 points behind the top 4 after a 1-1 draw against AS Roma, in which goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi had many important saves.
However, Atalanta's away form is still very impressive as they have only lost 1 of their last 9 matches - a record equal to Inter and Como. With 5/6 recent away wins in Sardinia, Palladino hopes the team will soon regain stability when facing Cagliari.
Head-to-head history also favors Atalanta. Cagliari has lost 7 of the last 10 encounters between the two teams, including the second leg in December - where Gianluca Scamacca scored a double.
In the opposite direction, Cagliari is under great pressure in the relegation race. Under Fabio Pisacane, this team still maintains a certain safe distance, but recent form makes them face many concerns.
After a three-match winning streak against Juventus, Fiorentina and Hellas Verona, Cagliari has only won 1 in the last 10 matches. That only victory came against direct opponent Cremonese.
The 0-3 defeat to Inter in the most recent round did not cause much surprise, although they held on for 50 minutes at San Siro. Currently, Rossoblu are only 5 points ahead of the relegation group when the season is still 5 rounds away, making the relegation battle in Serie A still full of risks.
Personnel situation
Raffaele Palladino is likely to rotate Atalanta's squad, with the possibility of Gianluca Scamacca being given the opportunity to replace key striker Nikola Krstovic in attack.
Mario Pasalic, Giacomo Raspadori and former Cagliari player - Raoul Bellanova - are all competing for a starting spot in La Dea's familiar 3-4-2-1 formation.
Regarding the force, Swedish defender Isak Hien may return to play, but Lorenzo Bernasconi will be absent after suffering a right knee injury.
On the other side, Cagliari continues to be missing for a long time Mattia Felici and Riyad Idrissi, along with veteran striker Leonardo Pavoletti and midfielder Luca Mazzitelli.
Notably, Marco Palestra is making a strong impression in Cagliari's colors and many big clubs have begun to follow him. This young player is expected to start on Rossoblu's right flank.
In attack, Sebastiano Esposito is currently the best scorer of the home team with 6 goals in Serie A. He is likely to pair with one of the two names Gennaro Borrelli or Semih Kilicsoy in attack.
Expected lineup:
Caprile, Ze Pedro, Mina, Rodriguez, Palestra, Folorunsho, Gaetano, Adopo, Obert, Esposito, Borrelli.
Carnesecchi, Scalvini, Djimsiti, Ahanor, Bellanova, De Roon, Ederson, Zappacosta, Pasalic, Raspadori, Scamacca.
The match between Cagliari and Atalanta takes place at 11:30 PM on April 27 (Vietnam time).
