Cagliari-Reggina

By: Jeremy | December 19th, 2008

After last weeks almost point achieving game, we head back to the friendly confines in Sardinia for a must win clash against relegation struggler Reggina, a team which we cannot seem to beat under any circumstance.

All signs point to the first Cagliari win against this club since 1997. We are playing well, especially at home, despite our loss in Rome last week. Reggina on the other hand has lost three in a row and has not won on the road all year. With a new coach in place after last weekends home loss to Sampdoria, combined with the absence of key striker Corradi, this is an ideal time to face this team. With a likely loss against Inter next week and a game to end the first half with Udinese the following week, Cagliari needs to lock down three points this weekend so the last two matches, if unsuccessful, do not put a downer on a good first half.

As my man Poindexter pointed out, Cagliari President Cellino has just finalized improvements on the Sant Elia stadium which will cost the club and its sponsors 300 million Euros, not chump change, especially for a team that wants to stay in Serie A and be looked at more then a relegation club. With such an investment by the club and its main sponsor Tiscali, the team is trying to lay the groundwork for solidifying its Serie A status while also trying to show the fans that money is going to be spent to stay up and improve as we cannot make our stadium better so we can play Serie B matches. Money will have to be spent on players, maybe as soon as this winter, to make sure this investment in the satdium is not wasted. The pressure to survive relegation is now even more serious as we wont see revenues from this investment probably for another couple of years. This makes games like this weekend even more vital.

Cagliari has seen improved play from the likes of Jeda and Cossu, and with the team feeling its most confident when Acquafresca is on the pitch and Larrivey is no where near the field, if Marchetti and the defense can avoid the last minute gaffes found in the Roma game, we should be able to get a win and maybe even a convincing one at that on Sunday.

Despite our improved play, this is still a relegation game. Reggina sits on 12 points clearly in trouble, but they have our number. While we are on 20 points, we are at the head of a 5-6 team race for three spots in Serie B next year. A loss tightens things a bunch and a win keeps us on what looks like a strong march to safety.

Any team with a new coach is going to want to show him that they are going to give him their all. With all the players missing for Reggina this weekend, which may include Valdez and Giosa in addition to Corradi, some players are going to get a chance to impress new gaffer Pillon. This situation combined with the confidence Reggina must have any time they face us makes this a dangerous game for Cagliari.

On the surface, we should win by 2-3 goals, but the history between the two clubs combined with the motivation of a new coach and Cagliari being due for a let down after what has been a great run of late, could make this a very frustrating game for the home club. Anything less then a win, no matter our history with them, is a failure.

The game being in Sardinia should be just enough for us to end what has been a long losing streak to a team that seems to be even better then we are at surviving. Dont assume anything however.

Prediction
Cagliari 1-0 Reggina

PS..Hey Fox Soccer Channel, how about some more Cagliari matches?