Our prediction
We are calling Cagliari 1-0 Bologna. Cagliari sit fifth with 13 points from six games and have conceded just three goals, while Bologna have won only once all season. The head-to-head leans the other way, so confidence is low, but current form points to the home side.
Form guide
Cagliari have made a strong start built on defence. They lost the opener, Cagliari 0-1 Inter, then won three in a row: Cagliari 1-0 Lecce, Atalanta 1-2 Cagliari and Udinese 0-1 Cagliari. Last time out they held Juventus, Cagliari 1-1 Juventus. Six goals scored and three conceded in six league games tells the story: they keep it tight and find enough at the other end. Winning at Atalanta and taking a point off Juventus shows this is more than a soft run of fixtures.
Bologna are 14th with five points, one win, two draws and three defeats. Their losses have been narrow, Atalanta 1-0 Bologna and Napoli 1-0 Bologna, and they drew at home with Bologna 2-2 Sassuolo and Bologna 1-1 Torino. Their only win came at Lecce, Lecce 1-2 Bologna, in their most recent match. They have scored five and conceded seven, and they have not kept a clean sheet in the five results listed. They are competitive, but not yet winning often enough.
Head-to-head
This is where Bologna’s case lies. In the last six meetings they have won four, Cagliari one, with one draw. Two of those Bologna wins came in Sardinia, Cagliari 0-2 Bologna in October 2025 and Cagliari 0-2 Bologna in October 2024. Cagliari’s only win in that run was Cagliari 2-1 Bologna in January 2024. The most recent meeting, in May 2026, ended Bologna 0-0 Cagliari, which suggests the gap had already closed by the end of last season. The record is a real warning, but it describes earlier versions of both sides more than the current table does.
Team news
Team news as of 24 October 2026 (Sky Sport Italia, Gazzetta dello Sport, Tuttosport, Cagliari Calcio and Bologna FC official sites, DAZN to confirm). Cagliari (head coach Fabio Pisacane) Absentees: In his pre-match press conference Pisacane said Felici and Idrissi will be absent due to their respective injuries, and all the others are available. Trepy has also been left out of the 26-man squad. The club decided to leave him with the Primavera for Sunday’s game against Como. Neither side has a player suspended. Doubts: Deiola can play either in midfield or in defence. If he plays in defence he would partner Mina, with Rodriguez left out. If Deiola moves into defence, either Fazzini or Massolin would take the midfield spot next to Winks and Romano. Sugawara is pushing Zé Pedro at right back. Tuttosport’s print edition went for something different: a 4-2-3-1 with Caprile; Zé Pedro, Mina, Rodriguez, Obert; Romano, Winks; Adopo, Maldini, Fazzini; Mendy, with Deiola on the bench. Expected formation (4-3-2-1): Sky Sport Italia and Gazzetta dello Sport agree on Caprile; Zé Pedro, Mina, Rodríguez, Obert; Romano, Winks, Deiola; Adopo, Maldini; Mendy.
Bologna (head coach Raffaele Palladino, who replaced the sacked Domenico Tedesco on 16 September) Absentees: According to the official squad list, Emil Holm, Riccardo Orsolini and Roberto Piccoli are all missing through injury. No Bologna player is suspended. Pobega and Theate, who both picked up minor knocks against Inter, are fully available. Doubts: The main question is who leads the line. Without Piccoli, Odgaard, Enem (who scored at Lecce) and Dovbyk are competing for the shirt, with Dovbyk still short of full fitness. Sky Sport Italia reports that Palladino is considering Odgaard as a false nine, supported by Bernardeschi and Cambiaghi. DAZN instead has Enem as favourite and also lists open contests between Casale and Heggem in defence and Pobega and Moro in midfield. Expected formation (3-4-2-1): Tuttosport and Sky Sport Italia agree on Skorupski; Darmian, Casale, Theate; Zortea, Pobega, Ferguson, Miranda; Bernardeschi, Cambiaghi; Odgaard.
What decides it
- Cagliari’s defence against a Bologna attack that struggles away. Bologna failed to score at Atalanta and at Napoli. Cagliari have conceded three goals in six games, so the visitors may not create much.
- Fine margins. Almost every Cagliari result this season has been decided by one goal or ended level. Expect a low-scoring game where the first goal carries huge weight, which suits the side that has been managing these games better.
- A shared opponent. Both teams have beaten Lecce, Cagliari 1-0 Lecce at home and Lecce 1-2 Bologna away. That shows Bologna can win on the road, but Bologna’s away record against stronger sides, two defeats without scoring, is the more relevant guide here.
Verdict
Bologna’s recent dominance in this fixture keeps us cautious, and a draw would not be a shock given the last meeting finished goalless. Still, Cagliari are eight points better off after six games, defend better and have shown they can grind out narrow wins. We expect a tight, low-scoring afternoon settled by a single goal: Cagliari 1-0 Bologna.
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