[Forza_Roma]

Serie A Week 30 - 1/4/07 (14.00 UK)

Cagliari - Messina
Stadio Sant'Elia Cagliari welcome Messina to the Sant’Elia on Sunday. After a week’s break we have a full blown relegation head to head between two teams who desperately want to keep hold of their Serie A status. Although Cagliari are ahead of their opponents in the League their advantage is negligible, just one position and only three points. The Sicilians will know that these are the type of games that decide a team’s fate come the end of the season and will want to close that small gap.

The Sardinians are mathematically safe at the moment but their position is very precarious. Three loses in the last five have not helped and they are only one bad result away from the drop zone. This will be their second consecutive clash with another club in trouble, last time out they played Chievo Verona and were leap-frogged by them after losing 2-0. They lost the midfield battle in that match and in the end lost out on the points as well. They can ill afford to make that kind of mistake again this time.

Coach Marco Giampaolo looks like he has only one change in mind for this game. It should be in defence, where Michele Ferri may make way for Francesco Pisano at right-back. Other than that the tactician looks like leaving his line-up untouched. He has had a week to tell his midfielders Daniele Conti and Leonardo Colucci how important this game is and how they can forget and avoid last week’s errors. Andrea Capone and David Suazo should start in attack.

The away side were on the receiving end of a 0-3 after Torino visited them as they went behind after 26 minutes and never really found a way back into the game. It is hard to believe that this is the same team who were flying high not so long ago. Since then however, it has been a steady drop and now the Sicilians are really in danger. Coach Alberto Cavasin will be hoping his strikers can find their form again and find the goals that would save his team and his job.

He seems happy with the XI that were beaten by the Granata. The likes of left-back Alessandro Parisi and central midfielder Roberto D’Aversa will have to have a good game if Messina are to get anything out of this match. Arturo Di Napoli should partner club top goalscorer Christian Rigano’ in attack. The latter will hope to add to the 12 strikes he has already this term.

Man on fire: Marco Zoro (Messina) –The Ivory Coast international has been doing well despite his side’s bad recent run, covering at right-back and centre-back with equal confidence and class.

Last season: Cagliari 1-1 Messina

Form guide: Cagliari (L L W D L) Messina (W L W D L)
Cagliari (probable): Fortin; Pisano, Lopez, Bianco, Del Grosso; Biondini, Conti, Colucci, D'Agostino; Capone, Suazo
Messina (probable): Paoletti; Lavecchia, Zoro, Zanchi, Parisi; Alvarez, Candela, D’Aversa, Masiello; Di Napoli, Riganò
Ref: To follow...

channel4.com - Football Italia