Cagliari-Reggina Preview

By: Jeremy | January 19th, 2008

I know I tend to be a little long winded, but sometimes things are so obvious, that history and statistics dont mean much when trying to emphasize the importance of a game. Simply put..THIS GAME IS A MUST WIN FOR CAGLIARI.

They are bottom with 10 points and Reggina is the next club above them with 14 points. Safety is seven points away. This is the last game of the first half of the season which means they will face off in Cagliari in week 38, the last week of the season, and one of these teams will hopefully have something to play for. Needing points in the final week, I couldnt pick a better match then Reggina at home in front of a packed house full of Sardinians. But this week, Cagliari is on the road facing a team that while not suffering from the same kind of turmoil, has played poorly and is also looking at a game they need to win. Reggina is looking good for the drop but a three point deficit halfway through the season is not the end of the world. There is still time. For Cagliari however, they cant let a fellow relegation struggler distance themselves via a head to head matchup. A loss today puts them six points behind everyone and to me once Cagliari falls five points or more behind the team above them, the bottom will drop out and the season likely cannot be saved.

If you are going to win a game, you have to score. Cagliari cannot score, especially in a close match, so I am not optimistic for this game or any in the future until they show otherwise. Playing at home for a hour with an extra man without being able to score tells me something drastic needs to happen. Give Jeda some time to get used to his surroundings and maybe he can help, but in this fight there is no time. Someone must step up but it likely will take a team effort and not one magic savior as he simply is not on this team. They need to do whatever it takes to score a goal or two and hope Reggina plays like Cagliaris typical offense, very uninspired.

A loss on Sunday really makes any future in Serie A next year unrealistic. Points are a must and even a road tie could give the club hope. The team was thrown the bone of an extra man at home last week in a game they needed points and they failed. Unfortunately, I cant see this week being any better.

Prediction: Reggina 1, Cagliari 0