Cagliari v Juventus

Cagliari and Juventus meet on May 6, Sunday, at the Stadio Sant’Elia. Kick-off: 19:45 GMT.

Teams News

Cagliari

Six points away from the first relegation slot and with only two more games to go in the season, Cagliari is bound to clinch survival in the next two weeks either by making points or by waiting for Lecce to drop theirs. Before the off-season break however, head coach Massimo Ficcadenti will be keen on ending the season strong. They have proven that they can produce a scintillating run after all – as was manifested in the first two months of their 2012 campaign – and they surely owe their fans a strong performance at home for one last time this season.

The Sardinians might still be without Michele Canini this weekend after receiving a knock against Chievo two weeks back. His replacement, Lorenzo Ariaudo, stepped in and scored a goal himself last game – the only goal Cagliari was able to put up against Genoa. Against Juventus this weekend his goalscoring will take second priority, as defending the Old Lady will surely be a very big test for Sardinians.

Juventus

Gianluigi Buffon’s howler of sorts handed ten-men Lecce a 1-1 draw last time out. Buffon’s 85th minute mistake offers AC Milan a glimpse of hope with two games to go in the season. Now the pressure is on the Old Lady, as according to club president Andrea Allegri, his team cannot afford to drop any point here onward.

In order to win the title, Juventus now has to pull off a perfect season – at some point in the season these two achievements were seen to be separate – but pending the Milan derby, the title could go to the Old Lady as early as after Juventus’ visit to Cagliari. Antonio Conte will nonetheless drive his team to a perfect record even if they win the title with one game left to play. It is an accolade after all that is as rare (if not rarer) than the Scudetto.

Cagliari v Juventus Betting Preview

It’s crunch time for Juventus, and with the title almost theirs, the Old Lady can clinch the Scudetto at the expense of their host Cagliari. In a fixture dominated by the visitors, the last time Cagliari registered a win against them was way back in 2009. In their earlier meeting however, Cagliari forced a surprise draw at Turin, signifying the possibility of a title-defining upset this time around.

Betting Tip

Verdict: Juventus to win, 2-0.

Tip: The books know better than side on the hosts – Juventus is clearly favored with a 1/4 odds to win. But their so-far perfect season has come with surprising draws here and then that you cant help but fancy the game to come to a draw at 17/4. A realistic scenario of a 1-1 draw is at 9/1, but rewards are abound in a rather long-shot2-2 draw scenario staked at 25/1.

All odds are from Bet365.com (£200 FREE BET!).