Cagliari vs Brescia Predictions

Brescia are a side attracting plenty of interest heading into the new season, with Mario Balotelli arriving at the club. In many ways that makes this the meeting of the talismanic players, as Radja Nainggolan prepares for his Serie A homecoming. Both of these sides have done some impressive business in the summer window, but which one of the pair will hit the ground running? After a few seasons back in the top flight, the Sardinians are hoping that this season will see them kick on another level.

The hosts have added more talent than just Radja this summer, which has brought renewed optimism to the club. They’re hoping to move from a potential relegation struggler to a top-half side, with the talent in their team certainly making that possible. They will hope to hit the ground running, especially with a straightforward home game kicking off the 2019/20 campaign for Cagliari. After a solid preseason with just one loss in seven matches, the hosts should have some confidence going into this game.

Brescia won the Serie B title by a point last season, with Balotelli’s arrival in the summer adding a new dimension to their side. However, he’s not their only star – holding midfielder Sandro Tonali is getting comparisons with Andrea Pirlo, so he’s a player to keep an eye on this term. However, a less than stellar away record suggests the visitors could struggle here.

Brescia won just five of their 18 away trips last season, beating only one of their fellow top seven sides. They head into this clash meeting a Cagliari side who have big dreams, while they had plenty of high scoring home games last term. They found the net twice or more in seven of their 10 clashes with the teams from 10th and below. Meanwhile, their xG tally last season came in almost five goals higher than their total goals, so there are chances for the hosts to finish off.

With added scoring talent in midfield and more creativity, we expect extra space up top for the Cagliari forwards along with late arrivals in the box. We expect a much high scoring Cagliari side this season, which is bad news for a Brescia side who have conceded 11 times across their last five meetings with the Sardinians. We’re going with over 1.5 home team goals in this clash, while we are also expecting a 2-1 victory for the hosts.