Juventus will be looking to record their 26th Serie A win of the 2018-19 campaign when they make the trip to the Sardegna Stadium to face Cagliari Calcio on Tuesday night.
Juve returned to winning ways at the weekend and will have the chance to move 18 points clear at the top of the table ahead of Napoli's clash with Empoli on Wednesday night.
Cagliari
© Reuters
There is no question that Cagliari will enter Tuesday's match as the underdogs, but they will be full of confidence having won three of their last four games in the top flight of Italian football.
Indeed, March proved to be an excellent month for the club; it started with a 2-1 home victory over Inter Milan, before suffering a 2-0 loss at Bologna. Cagliari ended March with back-to-back victories over Fiorentina and Chievo either side of the international break, though, and have certainly been impressive in recent weeks.
Eight wins, nine draws and 12 defeats - that is how Cagliari have performed in Serie A this term. A total of 33 points has left them in 12th position in the table, some eight points clear of the relegation zone. They are only five points off 10th, meanwhile, and will be feeling good about themselves ahead of this match.
The Red and Blues have only won 13 of their 79 previous fixtures against Juve but have been beaten in just two of their 14 home league fixtures this term, which suggests that the Italian champions could be in for a tough night.
Juve do have the best away record in the league this season, however, and have been victorious in each of the last five Serie A meetings between the two teams.
Nicolo Barella's performances for Cagliari this term have brought a lot of attention, with Arsenal and Chelsea said to be amongst those interested in signing the 22-year-old, who has contributed one goal and three assists in 27 Serie A appearances during the 2018-19 campaign.
Cagliari will need Barella to put in a strong performance on Tuesday night if they are to pick up a positive result, while Juve's injury problems ahead of the contest will have certainly boosted Rolando Maran's side.
Recent form: WLWLWW
Juventus
© Reuters
The fitness of Cristiano Ronaldo is Juve's biggest concern at the moment, rather than a trip to Cagliari. Ronaldo picked up a thigh injury on international duty last month, forcing him to miss Saturday's 1-0 win over Empoli.
The attacker will also miss out against Cagliari and AC Milan in Serie A, with head coach Massimiliano Allegri revealing that the club's leading scorer this season is facing a battle to be fit for the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final away to Ajax on April 10.
Allegri took the chance to shuffle his pack against Empoli at the weekend, and all three points were secured courtesy of a second-half strike from Moise Kean, who is enjoying a very good spell in front of goal.
Juve will not head into Tuesday's match in the best possible shape, but they managed to bounce back from the defeat at Genoa before the international break and will win Serie A this season regardless of what happens against Cagliari.
Indeed, 25 wins, three draws and one defeat from their 29 league matches this season has left them on 78 points, 15 points clear of second-placed Napoli. The gap will become 18 if Juve win on Tuesday night as Napoli are not in action until Wednesday, when they visit Empoli.
There will be no Coppa Italia crown this season following their shock 3-0 loss to Atalanta BC at the end of January, but a league - their eighth in a row - and Champions League double would be seen as a wonderful campaign.
The fact that Juve are so comfortable in the league will surely hand them an advantage over their rivals in the Champions League, but Ronaldo's fitness will be a concern at this stage of the campaign.
Tuesday's match against Cagliari is far from Juve's biggest of the season, but winning breeds winning and Allegri will certainly be keen to secure another three points, moving them a step closer to another title.
Recent form: WWWWLW
Recent form (all competitions): WWWWLW
Team News
© Reuters
Cagliari will once again be without the services of both midfielder Lucas Castro and defender Ragnar Klavan, who are long-term absentees with knee and Achilles injuries respectively.
Alberto Cerri is also a doubt with a muscular problem, meaning that Barella is once again expected to support Cyril Thereau and Joao Pedro in the final third of the field.
As mentioned, Ronaldo will miss out for Juve once again, while Mario Mandzukic has a fever and Paulo Dybala a slight injury, meaning that Allegri's options in the final third are limited.
Douglas Costa is unlikely to be risked as he recovers from a hamstring problem, while Juan Cuadrado will miss out again with a long-term knee injury and Sami Khedira is not yet available following a heart procedure.
As a result, Kean looks likely to be handed a start, with Federico Bernardeschi and Rodrigo Bentancur also earning spots in the starting XI, which will be far from Juve's strongest.
Cagliari possible starting lineup:
Cragno; Pellegrini, Pisacane, Ceppitelli, Cacciatore; Ionita, Cigarini, Farago, Barella; Pedro, Thereau
Juventus possible starting lineup:
Szczesny; Caceres, Bonucci, Rugani; De Sciglio, Can, Pjanic, Bentancur, Sandro; Bernardeschi, Kean
Head To Head
Tuesday will bring the 80th meeting between these two teams. Juve lead the head-to-head 40 wins to Cagliari's 13, with the remaining 26 fixtures finishing level.
The Old Lady have been victorious in each of the last five Serie A meetings between the pair, meanwhile, including a 3-1 home success earlier this season and a 1-0 win in the corresponding match last term.
We say: Cagliari 1-2 Juventus
Cagliari have been impressive in recent weeks and Juve will be far from at full strength. We just fancy the champions to have enough to collect all three points, though.
Matt Law
