Rome – Cagliari 16-03-2025

The 29th round of the series is upon us, and things are really starting to heat up in Serie A, where it's even at both the top and bottom. And we have a betting suggestion on the home team that pays well.

Analysis of the teams

This weekend's hosts, Roma, have been showing good form lately and are starting to sniff out the European spots. But the visitors, Cagliari, need to stay above the line, and to do that they need to start picking up three points!

It's not exactly an easy task away against Ranieri's men. The last time these teams met, back in August 2024, the match ended goalless, but I can say right away that I don't think that will be the outcome in this weekend's match.

Roma – full focus on Serie A 

It's been a good few weeks for Claudio Ranieri and AS Roma, where they went six straight games without losing in Serie A and the Europa League. It must be said that the opponents in the last few rounds of the league have not been from the top half. But it's about picking up the points, no matter who is on the other side of the pitch.

Roma have been extremely sharp in terms of play, with several players in great form. Wing-backs Angeliño and Saelemaekers are very important in the build-up game, and with their offensive contributions they are always dangerous around goal.

Several of the attacking players are delivering really good performances, like striker Shomurodov, who I think will start Sunday's match up front for the red and yellows. As they will play a hugely important knockout match in the Europa League on Thursday night, it is possible that several key players will be spared on Sunday. But Roma have shown that they have an impressive breadth in their squad!

With 12 goals in the last five games, several players have proven that they have the goal-scoring ability. Roma are now in 7th place, just four points behind Bologna, who are holding on to the last European Cup spot – a spot everyone is fighting so hard for.

Cagliari – The fight for survival continues 

Cagliari are now in 14th place in the table and are struggling to get out of the quagmire of relegation candidates. It is even at the bottom, and from Cagliari's 14th place down to Empoli below the line there are only four points separating the teams. If Cagliari is to manage to stay away from the dreaded line, they will have to start picking up three points.

The last time they won a league game was at the beginning of February, when they beat Parma 2-1 at home. Since then, they have drawn two games, against Atalanta and Genoa, and lost two. This means they will have to be more offensive to try and get a good result at the weekend – a result they can take into the coming rounds, where they will play more “six-pointers” against teams like Monza and Empoli.

Some key players to keep an eye on in this Cagliari team are the loaned striker from Atalanta with the number 91 on his back, Roberto Piccoli. He is the team's top scorer with seven goals so far this season. Another player who has shown good tactics from his wing position is Nadir Zortea, who has been responsible for five goals.

Both goalkeeper Elia Caprile and centre-back Yerry Mina have proven to be tough to break down when they have the day. But even with these two in good form, Cagliari are still conceding more goals than they would like, averaging 1.5 goals per game.

Looking at these numbers against the team's number of goals scored – just 28 in total, with an average of just 1.0 per game – it's easy to understand why they are where they are after 28 games played.

Termination

This is a match where both teams naturally want to leave the field victorious, but with different motivations: Roma is fighting for a better position at the top, while Cagliari is fighting to avoid relegation.

We will probably see a Roma team that will try to keep the ball and control the game in their lane. It will be interesting to see which team Roma will field, as they have a game on Thursday as well, as mentioned earlier. However, I think they will do everything they can to take all three points.

Our main game; 

Italy at 16:00: Roma – Cagliari: Over 1.5 goals to Roma (1.65)

Alternative games:

Italy at 16:00: Roma – Cagliari: Angeliño over 0.5 shots on goal (3.95)

Italy at 16:00: Rome - Cagliari: Over 3.5 corners to Cagliari (2.08)

Why:
Angeliño is an attacking full-back who often plays as a left winger when Roma have the ball. His attacking contributions are hugely important for the home team. He has scored two goals in Serie A and also found the back of the net in the first leg against Athletic Bilbao in the Europa League.

He averages 0.55 shots per game , with 0.12 of them hitting the target . Regardless, this could be a fun game to follow if you watch the game. Keep in mind, however, that he is one of the players who could possibly be rested on Sunday due to the tight match schedule – but it is impossible to know in advance.