For Genoa, this is one of those games that feels like a crossroads, not only in sporting terms, but also for Daniele De Rossi and Fabio Pisacane. On Monday, January 12, they face Cagliari at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris, and at the halfway point of the season, evenings like this can quietly tip the momentum of a team. Genoa are 17th with 16 points, right on the edge of the relegation zone, one point behind Lecce and three ahead of Verona, and have not reached the minimum level required in the recent league phase, even if the spirited 1-1 draw in Milan was encouraging, with Colombo finishing off an attack via Malinovskyi. Cagliari travel as the 14th-placed team in the table with 19 points, three behind Cremonese and one ahead of Parma, looking to turn their small cushion in mid-table into something more solid and coming off the back of a shaky phase, highlighted by a 2-2 draw at Cremonese with Adopo as the goalscorer. Both sides are short on personnel, with Ekuban missing for the hosts and Belotti, Folorunsho, and Zé Pedro among the absentees for the visitors. And then there’s the history of this fixture: in November in Serie A, it ended 3-3, with three of the last four league games between the two sides ending in draws, often with plenty of goals. Recent headlines also add extra spice to the whole thing. First, Milan were really challenged by Cagliari’s pace and pressing, then they needed a late reaction against Genoa to avoid defeat. Nevertheless, the high expectation of a draw fits in quite well with how these two teams keep taking jabs at each other.
- Venue: Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Genoa
- Date and time: January 12, 2026, 6:30 p.m.
- Competition: Serie A (matchday 20)
Despite a market that clearly favors Genoa (home win at 2.1, draw at 3.0), I believe there is value in a win for the hosts. They weathered Milan’s pressure and snatched a point thanks to a late penalty after a foul on Ellertsson. Cagliari’s away defense has looked shaky lately, they have yet to win a first half, and Belotti and Folorunsho are missing.
Genoa Form & Record Check
Thursday’s 1-1 draw at AC Milan pretty much summed up Genoa’s current mix of resilience and wobbling. Colombo finished cleanly after Malinovskyi set him up, and De Rossi’s team controlled the game with decent spacing and a lot of work against the ball. Then their concentration slipped late on, with Leao equalizing in the 90th minute, a familiar annoyance for a team that is currently looking for momentum. Before that, there was another 1-1 draw at home against Pisa, preceded by three league defeats in a row, 3-1 at Roma, 0-1 against Atalanta, and 1-2 against Inter. Their performances rarely seemed lifeless, but the close scenes kept tipping against them. Genoa has scored in four of its last five games but conceded in all five, and the second halves have remained strangely quiet. This winless streak leaves them in 17th place with 16 points, one point behind Lecce and three ahead of Verona, so every draw feels like half a result. It’s quite possible that De Rossi will rely even more on Frendrup and Thorsby to secure the center, while Stanciu and Malinovskyi provide faster passes in the final third. With Siegrist still out and Ekuban unavailable, the attack needs more clinical minutes from Vitinha and Colombo.
Genoa are likely to start with three center backs. Leali is the probable starter in goal, while Siegrist remains sidelined with a broken finger. Marcandalli, Østigård, and Vásquez are expected to form the back line, supported by aggressive wingbacks. Norton Cuffy on the right and Martín on the left should provide width early on and open up the flanks quickly. In midfield, Malinovskyi looks like the central organizer, with Frendrup and Thorsby providing the running and counter-pressing that De Rossi usually demands. Up front, Vitinha and Colombo are the obvious duo, partly because Ekuban is out with a thigh injury. If more one-on-one play is required, Cornet or Messias could be the first offensive substitutes.
Cagliari Form & Record Check
Cagliari goes into matchday 20 in 14th place in the table with 19 points, a position that seems comfortable at first glance until you see that Parma is only one point behind and Cremonese is only three points ahead. Pisacane’s team is not in free fall, but its form in the league is inconsistent and rarely really steady, with games being decided by small details rather than real control. This pattern was also evident last month: a 2-2 draw at Cremonese after trailing 0-2, a narrow 0-1 home defeat to Milan, where Cagliari’s pace and pressing threw the visitors off their stride but failed to yield a reward, and a hard-fought 2-1 win at Torino. The 2-2 draw against Pisa and the 1-2 defeat at Atalanta also felt like points that could have been won. They have conceded goals in each of their last five league games, and in four of those games the goal was conceded in the first half, keeping them on the back foot for long periods. Interestingly, they have still scored in four of five games and often look livelier after the break, thanks in part to Gaetano’s link-up play and Luvumbo’s runs. With Zé Pedro, Folorunsho, Deiola, Felici, and Belotti all missing, the air is thin.
Pisacane is likely to stick with a 3-4-2-1 formation, with Caprile behind a back three of Luperto, Mina, and Rodríguez. Zappa and Palestra will provide width as wingbacks, while Adopo and Prati are expected to cover the center. In front of them, Luvumbo and Gaetano will be the main creative forces supporting Borrelli. With Zé Pedro still out after his knee surgery, the defensive rotation looks thin, so the trio led by Mina will likely have to play a lot of minutes. In midfield, Folorunsho and Deiola are unavailable, which could bring Mazzitelli or Rog into focus from the bench. Up front, Belotti and Felici are out, so Esposito, Kılıçsoy, and Pavoletti are the most likely offensive alternatives if Pisacane needs fresh legs for pressing.
Genoa – Cagliari Head-to-head & Statistics
The last five encounters have been fairly even, with one win and three draws each. In November 2025, the game ended 3-3, and in March 2025, it was 1-1, both games in Cagliari. Before that, there was a 2-2 draw in Genoa in 2024 and a 3-0 home win for Genoa. Cagliari’s only win in this series was a 2-1 victory in 2023. Goals have been a constant feature. All five games have seen more than 1.5 goals, four of them even more than 2.5, with the 3-0 win being the only exception where both teams failed to score. Genoa has scored in all five games and also scored a goal in the second half in each game, a pattern that keeps recurring in this fixture. There is also a clear pattern in the results: three draws in a row in the last three games, with the last win dating back to 2024. Overall, Genoa are unbeaten in their last four encounters. In Genoa, they picked up four points from six in 2024, first 3-0, then 2-2, which could indicate that they are a little more stable when the game is played on their terms.
