Sitting together on nine points in the Serie A standings, Rossoblu rivals Cagliari and Bologna will convene in Sardinia on Tuesday evening.
While Bologna sat out the weekend action due to the postponement of their fixture with AC Milan, the hosts were beaten by high-flying Udinese.
Match preview
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After two wins from three games - and a draw against Juventus in the other - an optimistic Cagliari side sought to topple Udinese on Friday night, but when Antoine Makoumbou was recklessly sent off for a second yellow card on the half-hour mark, hopes of another victory soon faded.
Eight minutes later they were a goal behind, and despite staying in the contest until the closing stages, Keinan Davis eventually scored the hosts' second, consigning Cagliari to a fourth league defeat of the campaign.
As a result, Davide Nicola's men remain inside the bottom half of the table, and a tough run of fixtures now awaits them.
Earlier this season, wins over Serie B sides Carrarese and Cremonese set up a meeting with Juve in the Coppa Italia's last 16, but before that tie takes place in mid-December, Cagliari must meet Lazio, Milan, Fiorentina and Atalanta BC, among others.
First, they play host to Bologna, who are a less fearsome prospect than last term but still pose a significant threat.
When the two sides last met in Sardinia, the Isolani won 2-1 at the start of this year - a result they will hope to repeat on Tuesday.
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Bologna were also unable to add any points to a modest tally at the weekend, as their scheduled clash with Milan at Stadio Dall'Ara was postponed late on Friday, due to recent flooding in Emilia-Romagna.
Safety concerns saw Lega Serie A decide to postpone the game, for which a new date will be confirmed in due course: February has been suggested, because both clubs are involved in either the Coppa Italia or Champions League most midweeks.
In the latter competition, Bologna's debut campaign has started slowly, and after last week's 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa they have picked up just one point from three league-phase matches without scoring.
The Emilian club have fared little better in Serie A, and last term's top-five finish already seems a distant memory: after recording six draws from eight league games, Vincenzo Italiano's side are level with Cagliari in the standings, albeit with one game in hand.
Having seen his side drop eight points from winning positions so far - most notably spilling a two-goal lead in Genoa earlier this month - Italiano will be keen to quell criticism by seeing out victory in Sardinia.
Team News
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Davide Nicola must make at least one change to his Cagliari team on Tuesday, as Antoine Makoumbou serves a suspension for his red card against Udinese; Alessandro Deiola and Matteo Prati head the queue to replace him.
Jakub Jankto (muscular) and Leonardo Pavoletti (foot) are both facing a race to return from injury, but Slovakia defender Adam Obert was back among the substitutes at the weekend, following a brief layoff.
After dropping Zito Luvumbo and Nadir Zortea to the bench in Udine, Nicola may recall both if he opts for a more attacking lineup on home turf.
Meanwhile, Bologna have benefited from a rare period of rest amid a demanding fixture list, so Vincenzo Italiano may limit his rotation of the XI that started against Aston Villa.
He will again mull over who leads the line up front: teenage striker Santiago Castro vies with Dutch forward Thijs Dallinga, who was handed a rare start at Villa Park.
Nicolo Cambiaghi, Oussama El Azzouzi, Martin Erlic and Lewis Ferguson are all sidelined, but Swiss midfielder Michel Aebischer could return to action after overcoming an adductor problem.
Cagliari possible starting lineup:
Scuffet; Zappa, Mina, Luperto; Zortea, Marin, Adopo, Prati, Augello; Luvumbo, Piccoli
Bologna possible starting lineup:
Skorupski; Posch, Beukema, Casale, Miranda; Freuler, Moro; Orsolini, Fabbian, Ndoye; Castro
We say: Cagliari 0-1 Bologna
Having had a little extra time on the training ground, Vincenzo Italiano could guide his ailing Bologna side to an overdue victory, prevailing by a single goal in Sardinia.
After throwing away two points against Genoa in their last league outing, the Emilians can conquer Cagliari and record just a second away win of the season.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Jonathan O'Shea
