Roma to begin Serie A season with opener against Cagliari.
Cagliari Calcio, under new management and eager to make a strong start, host AS Roma with Daniele De Rossi aiming to impress in his first full season in charge, in a thrilling Serie A opener at Sardegna Arena this Sunday evening.
Cagliari
Cagliari, who finished the 2023-2024 Serie A season in 16th place, just one point above the relegation zone, will be keen to get off to a fine start when they face Roma on home soil on Sunday. After guiding the Isolani to promotion and keeping them in the top-flight, Claudio Ranieri retired, bidding farewell to the club.
Davide Nicola, now at the helm, aims to build on the foundations laid by the legendary Italian manager. Meanwhile, the club has made changes in the squad during the transfer window, which includes a key exchange with Atalanta.
Cagliari brought in right winger Nadir Zortea from Atalanta for €5 million while sending defensive midfielder Ibrahim Sulemana the other way for €8 million. The club’s pre-season campaign yielded mixed results, having recorded a win, a draw, and a loss across three friendlies before returning to competitive action with a 3-1 victory over Carrarese in the Coppa Italia.
Nicola’s men will now look to build on this momentum as they welcome Roma in Sunday’s league opener, with the aim of starting the season on a high note. A 3-4-1-2 may be seen against Roma, with Gianluca Lapadula and Roberto Piccoli in attack. Meanwhile, Yerry Mina is unavailable due to suspension.
Roma
Daniele De Rossi will be aiming for a strong start to the season on Sunday when Roma makes the trip to Cagliari. The 41-year-old, who took over as manager midway through last season following José Mourinho's dismissal, will be looking to make a mark in his first full season at the helm after guiding the Giallorossi to a sixth-place finish last term.
Having finished with 63 points in the last campaign, the same tally as the previous two seasons, Roma hopes to accrue more points this term in a bid to finish in the top four. The club has made notable additions in the summer transfer window, including last season’s top scorer in La Liga, Artem Dovbyk, from Girona for €31 million.
Matías Soulé (€26 million) and Enzo Le Fée (€23 million) were also added from Juventus and Stade Rennais, respectively. Roma, however, parted ways with Houssem Aouar, who moved to Al-Ittihad for €12 million, and Andrea Belotti, who joined newly-promoted Como for €5 million. They will also be without Lukaku, who returned to Chelsea after his loan spell came to an end.
De Rossi’s men will be looking to start the season with a win when they travel to Cagliari this weekend. A 4—3—3 with Stephan El Shaarawy and new signings Matias Soule and Artem Dovbyk in attack is expected. Meanwhile, Leandro Paredes is sidelined due to suspension.
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