Between the desire for peace in mid-table and the fear of slipping into the relegation battle, there is a duel at the Stadio Olimpico di Torino that is unlikely to leave Turin and Cagliari cold. On Saturday afternoon, on matchday 17 of Serie A, Marco Baroni’s team, currently 13th in the table with 20 points, will host Cagliari, who are 15th under Fabio Pisacane and still in the midst of a relegation battle with 15 points, flanked by Lecce and Parma, who are only one point behind. Turin goes into this game with confidence after two narrow Serie A wins in a row, most recently a 1-0 win at Sassuolo, where Vlasic scored the decisive goal from the penalty spot, a result that could signal a stabilization of what has been a disappointing season so far. Cagliari, on the other hand, are coming off a tough 2-2 draw at home to Pisa, in which a strong second-half response with goals from Folorunsho and Kilicsoy was undone by a late equalizer, once again exposing their vulnerability. Head-to-head, the record is even, with two wins and a draw apiece, but Torino won the most recent encounter at this venue 2-0 in January, and the meetings are rarely high-scoring affairs overall.
- Venue: Stadio Olimpico di Torino, Turin
- Date and time: December 27, 2025, 3:00 p.m.
- Competition: Serie A (Matchday 17)
The absences of Luvumbo, Belotti, and Folorunsho at Cagliari, as well as their poor away goal record, further strengthen the case for betting on Turin to win at halftime and “Both teams to score: No” as the more valuable betting options.
Turin form & record check
Turin goes into matchday 17 with an almost binary form curve, having lost 5-1 at home to Como in its last five Serie A games, followed by a 2-1 defeat in Lecce and a 3-2 loss in front of its own fans against Milan, before responding with two 1-0 wins, at home against Cremonese and away at Sassuolo. Turin has scored in all five of these games but has not managed a single draw, which makes the fluctuating pattern seem even more unstable. However, the two consecutive clean sheets point to a more organized Turin and exceed what many expected after the collapse against Como. In Sassuolo, Baroni’s team limited their opponents’ clear chances, relied on a difficult save from Paleari, and then seized the opportunity when Simeone won a penalty, which Vlasic converted. The Croatian has now scored in three consecutive league games, so it certainly looks as if Torino have finally found their offensive reference point. In the table, Torino are 13th with 20 points, just one behind Udinese but already four ahead of Lecce, while their goal difference of minus 10 continues to reflect their run of three defeats and the collapse against Como. With Coco and Masina unavailable due to international duty and Schuurs out injured, Baroni’s biggest challenge could be to confirm the current defensive upturn.
Turin is expected to stick with its familiar 3-5-2 formation. Our predicted starting lineup sees Paleari in goal behind a back three of Ismajli, Maripán, and Sazonov, with Pedersen and Lazaro occupying the wide positions. In midfield, Asllani should act as the playmaker, flanked by the hard-running Tameze and an in-form Vlasic, while Adams and Zapata form the attacking duo. This is only a predicted and not an official line-up. Baroni will also have to continue without several defenders, as Coco and Masina are at the Africa Cup of Nations, Schuurs is out after knee surgery and Savva is still missing due to a patellar tendon problem, reducing the depth in both defense and on the wings.
Cagliari Form & Record Check
Cagliari are having a mixed but by no means disastrous league campaign at this stage of the season, sitting 15th in the table with 15 points, just one point behind Lecce and one ahead of Parma, so the gaps around them remain extremely tight. In their last five Serie A games, the team has recorded one win, two draws, and two losses, keeping them just above the relegation zone. Their most recent game, a 2-2 draw with Pisa, sums up their volatility well. Passive before the break and punished by Tramoni’s penalty after a handball by Adopo, they came out completely different after the half-time talk, with a stretched header from Folorunsho after a cross from Zappa and a fine finish from Kilicsoy initially turning the game around. Moreo’s equalizer shortly before the end, after Pisa had missed further chances, made the result feel more like two points lost than one gained. Looking at their other games, the 2-1 defeats at Juventus and Atalanta and a 1-1 draw in Naples, which meant elimination on penalties, show a team that remains competitive rather than being overrun. They have scored in each of their last five games, but have also conceded in most of them, which is consistent with the statistics showing frequent setbacks at halftime and stronger reactions in the second half. Pisacane’s team looks more dangerous as soon as the game opens up, often thanks to crosses from Zappa and Palestra and the interplay between Gaetano, Esposito, and Kilicsoy. Their current problem is likely to be balance, as Belotti, Luvumbo, Folorunsho, Liteta, and Felici are unavailable and Zé Pedro is also missing at the back, leaving the squad lacking depth, particularly in terms of pace and presence in the box.
Cagliari are also expected to stick with their usual 4-3-2-1 formation, with Caprile in goal and a back four of Palestra, Mina, Rodríguez, and Obert. In midfield, Adopo, Deiola, and Prati should provide balance, while Gaetano and Esposito operate between the lines behind Kilicsoy. The close coordination between Gaetano and Kilicsoy against Pisa was striking, so it would come as no surprise if they once again form the backbone of the attack. This predicted, as yet unconfirmed lineup is heavily influenced by absences, with Zé Pedro and Felici still out long term, Folorunsho unavailable after his injury against Pisa, and Belotti still recovering from a cruciate ligament rupture. The Africa Cup of Nations takes Liteta and Luvumbo out of the selection, which is why the offensive alternatives are likely to come mainly from Pavoletti and Borrelli if Pisacane wants to go with a different profile in attack.
Turin – Cagliari Head-to-head & Statistics
In the last five meetings between Turin and Cagliari, the record is completely even, with each team winning twice and one draw, and the goal difference is only 7:6 in favor of Turin. The series runs from 2022 to January 2025, and none of the games ended in a clear defeat. This suggests a duel that will be decided by subtle differences rather than clear mental dominance on either side. However, looking only at Turin’s home games, the picture has shifted somewhat recently. In 2022, Cagliari secured a 2-1 victory here, in 2023 the teams neutralized each other in a 0-0 draw, and in January 2025, Turin finally prevailed 2-0, so that the recent trend in this stadium, after an initially bumpy phase, is slightly in favor of the hosts. Cagliari’s home results against Turin are also mixed. In 2024, they won a wild game 3-2, but lost 2-1 at home in the same year. Overall, at least two goals were scored in four of the five most recent encounters, while in four games there were no more than three. The only exception to this range was the high-scoring 3-2 game in 2024. There was also a series of three games from 2022 to early 2024 in which each game remained under 3.5 goals, with results of 2-1, 0-0, and 2-1. Torino scored in four of the five matches, Cagliari in three, while Cagliari conceded goals in four games. Interestingly, this could allow Torino to enter the next chapter of this rivalry with slightly greater offensive confidence.
