Udinese (10-9-16) at Cagliari (10-12-13)
Serie A Soccer: Sunday July 26, 2020 at 1:30 PM (Sardegna Arena)
The Line: Cagliari +270 / Draw +250 / Udinese +105 -- O/U: 2.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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Cagliari plays host to Udinese in Serie A soccer action from the Sardegna Arena on Sunday afternoon.
Cagliari enters this match in 13th place on 42 points with a record of 10 wins, 12 draws and 13 losses following a 2-1 loss to Lazio last time out. In the loss to Lazio, Cagliari took the lead in the 45th minute off of a deflection goal by Giovanni Simeone. Lazio would tie the game at one in the 47th and would go ahead on the hour mark, Leaving Cagliari scrambling in the last half hour plus, looking for an equalizer that wouldn’t come before the full time whistle. Joao Pedro leads Cagliari in scoring with 18 goals while Simeone is close behind in second with 11 goals and Radja Nainggolan has a team-high 7 assists this season.
Udinese is parked in 15th place on 39 points with a record of 10 wins, 9 draws and 16 losses following a 2-1 win over Juventus in their last match. In the win over Juventus, Udinese fell behind in the 42nd minute and the lead went into the half but only lasted seven minutes after the break when Ilija Nestorovski tied the match at one. The two sides would have chances the rest of the way, but Seko Fofana would help push Udinese 2-1 in front in second-half stoppage time, helping Udinese steal the win and a key three points in the fight for survival. Kevin Lasagna leads Udinese in scoring with 10 goals while Rodrigo de Paul has 7 goals with 5 assists and Stefano Okaka has 6 goals. The aforementioned Fofana has a team-high 7 assists while de Paul has 5 assists this season. Juan Agustin is Udinese’s top goalkeeper, conceding 1.26 goals per 90 minutes with 12 clean sheets in 35 league appearances this season.
This could be a letdown spot for Udinese after such an emotional win over league-leading Juventus. However, a win here would secure their safety from relegation and while Cagliari’s higher in the table, they’ve taken their foot off of the gas since the restart, going winless across their last seven games. I think Udinese realizes what’s at stake and will want to keep that momentum going so I’ll back Udinese on the ML here.
Chris’s Pick Udinese ML +105
AUTHOR: Chris Ruffolo
Follow Chris Ruffolo on Twitter @ruffthepickdawg