Gameweek 18 in Serie A sees two relegation-threatened sides battle in Sardinia on Saturday when Cagliari host Empoli at the Unipol Domus.
Claudio Ranieri's men have lost two on the trot but come into round 18's clash in slightly healthier form than their second-bottom opponents.
Match preview
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It has been a stop-start return to the top division for Cagliari, with their unsurprising inconsistency seeing them occupy 18th in Serie A heading into the final gameweek of 2023.
There have been a few false dawns to offer optimism, the latest being the 2-1 triumph over Sassuolo on December 12, followed by defeats against Napoli (2-1) and Hellas Verona (2-0).
Losing at Verona was particularly damaging, as Ranieri's men slipped into the bottom three after that loss before Christmas and sit a point ahead of this weekend's opponents.
The Sardinians can draw confidence from their recent form on home turf, evident in the four-match sequence that has seen the Rossoblu claim 10 points from an available 12 in recent games in front of their supporters.
Extending that run to five could take Ranieri's team out of the bottom three, even if only a win guarantees that outcome heading into the New Year.
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The home fans could look forward to that eventuality based on Empoli's wretched results in recent months and most of the 2023-24 season.
Aurelio Andreazzoli's team have notched surprising victories at Fiorentina (2-0) and Napoli (1-0) since the Massa-born manager replaced Paolo Zanetti in September, but the Italian's spell has delivered little else.
With five league defeats in their last eight, Empoli are not in the bottom three by accident, although they could still escape the danger zone with a third away triumph of the campaign.
The Azzurri have netted just five times on the road all season, failing to score in 50% of their eight away games, underscoring the goalscoring prowess outside Tuscany.
It remains to be seen if they are successful in Sardinia on Saturday, but recent results give little hope for a positive outcome.
Team News
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Antoine Makoumbou is suspended for Cagliari, and the midfield man misses Saturday's game for Ranieri's troops.
Eldor Shomurodov (foot) and Marko Rog (ACL) are both missing for the home side, with the pair not expected to return until February.
As for Empoli, Francesco Caputo, Bartosz Bereszynski, and Gabriele Guarino have muscle injuries that should rule them out of Saturday's action; Giuseppe Pezzella's back problem also keeps the defender out.
With Caputo doubtful, the low-scoring away side have no player with more than one goal this term, giving Andreazzoli a headache heading into the game.
Cagliari possible starting lineup:
Scuffet; Goldaniga, Chatzidiakos, Dossena; Nandez, Suleman, Viola, Prati, Augello; Lapadula, Oristanio
Empoli possible starting lineup:
Caprile; Ebuehi, Ismajli, Luperto, Sastoni; Fazzini, Grassi, Maleh; Cancellieri, Maldini, Cambiaghi
We say: Cagliari 2-1 Empoli
While the away side may find the back of the net, Cagliari hope to extend their undefeated run at home to five games.
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