[D-Kin]

Serie A Week 35 - 6/5/07 (14.00 UK)

Cagliari-Udinese
Stadio Sant'Elia

Cagliari welcomes Udinese to the Sant’Elia on Sunday. With the season’s end three games away, the home side are in serious danger. Udinese still have pride to play for, and with things so congested at the bottom of the table they cannot afford to take an early summer holiday. The Coaches will be busy too as both sides are heavily effected by disciplinary issues.

The home side have now lost three in a row, a slide in form that has seen them drop to their present precarious position, one point away from the danger zone with Torino and Chievo breathing down their necks and a further two teams on the same number of points. One win could lift them out of trouble, but they will not get one if they play like they did last time out. The Isolani were defeated in their crucial bottom of the table head-to-head with Parma. The northern side’s midfield was too much for them and they lost precious points.

Coach Marco Giampaolo’s 4-4-2 setup will be aimed at stopping the away side’s impressive five-man midfield. Michele Ferri, Daniele Conti and Davide Biondini are all ruled out of this clash because of suspension. Franceso Pisano looks as though he will take Ferri’s place at the back. Three changes look likely in the centre, with Davide Marchini, Leonardo Colucci and Antonio D’Agostino possibly coming into the starting XI. All that means there is no room for Simone Pepe, who was poor on the wing against Pama.

The away side were beaten at home by Catania last time out; their first loss in over a month. They ended the game with just eight men, Antonio Di Natale was one of the trio who lost their heads, the other two were Marco Motta and Andrea Dossena. The plethora of suspensions will force Alberto Malesani to make changes. His 3-5-2 formation should keep to the same back three, but only Gaetano D’Agostino and Gianpiero Pinzi keep their places in the midfield. Tomas Zapotocny, Sulley Muntari and Aleksandar Lukovic are the others likely to start, with Vincenzo Iaquinta and Paulo Barreto in attack

Man on fire: Paulo Barreto (Udinese) – The second half substitute kept his head while his teammates were losing theirs. His movement was superb and he was unlucky not to get his side at least a draw.

Form guide: Cagliari (W D L L L) Udinese (D W W D L)

Last season: Cagliari 2-1 Udinese

Cagliari (probable): Chimenti; Pisano, Lopez, Bianco, Del Grosso; Marchini, Colucci, Budel, D'Agostino; Suazo, Capone

Udinese (probable): De Sanctis; Coda, Natali, Zapata; Zapotocny, Pinzi, D'Agostino, Muntari, Lukovic; Iaquinta, Barreto

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