Genoa – Cagliari

Should we expect the teams to play high-scoring football?

After a long unbeaten run, Genoa suffered their third defeat in a row. The Genoa side have lost to Verona (1-0), Lazio (1-4) and Milan (2-0). We could excuse the loss to the giants, but before that the Griffons had shared points with top sides such as Roma, Inter and Atalanta. This series, as well as the success of their rivals in the fight for survival, has seen Alexander Blessin's side drop to last place. It's too early to panic, though, as all three underdogs have the same number of points - 22. Nevertheless, there is a six-point gap to 17th place (and it is Cagliari who holds that spot). However, taking into account their rivals' games in hand, the Genoa side are the main contenders for relegation. The team still have to play Sampdoria, Juventus, Napoli and Bologna. It is not very clear at the end of which of these matches the team can eliminate that difference, but they need to start doing it now. Cagliari, on the other hand, have managed to break their long losing streak. The islanders have lost five games in a row, but they picked up a narrow victory over Sassuolo in the last meeting. It's obviously too early to get complacent. Any slip-up will allow their direct rivals to come within one win of each other. Walter Mazzarri's side, though, are favoured by the calendar. They will face Verona, Salernita, Inter and Venezia. It's not hard to guess that the emphasis will be on games against relegation rivals. It is also important to note that Cagliari have failed to score in only one of their last five away matches. For Genoa, the time when a 0-0 result could have been useful is over. Now, it is crucial for the Griffons to get victories, and they are known to come after goals. At the same time, the calendar is extremely favourable for Cagliari. "Obviously, the Islanders also want to score against their arch-rivals. They met in the first leg with a 2-3 win over Genoa. Given the motivation of the teams, such a shoot-out could be repeated now.