Cagliari vs Genoa Prediction

Right then, let's have a proper look at this scrap at the bottom of Serie A. Cagliari versus Genoa - two sides who've been finding life tough this season, and something's got to give.

Cagliari are sitting in 14th with 10 points, and honestly, their recent form hasn't been clever. They've managed just 3 wins in their last 10 games, and at home, they've been proper hit and miss. They lost 0-2 to Bologna, got turned over 1-2 by Sassuolo, and even Inter came to town and put two past them without reply. Their only decent home result recently was that 2-0 win against Parma, but let's be honest, Parma aren't exactly setting the world alight either.

Genoa, bless 'em, are in even worse shape down in 18th with only 7 points to show for their efforts. They've won just 2 of their last 10, and defensively they've been about as solid as a chocolate teapot - shipping 1.60 goals per game on average. Away from home, they've been particularly shocking, winning only 20% of their travels. That said, they did nick a 2-1 win at Sassuolo recently, so maybe there's a bit of fight left in them yet.

When these two have met in the past, it's usually been tight stuff. Out of 8 meetings, 4 have been draws, and both teams have found the net in half of those encounters. The recent head-to-heads show 1-1, 2-2, and 0-0 results - not exactly goal fests, but plenty of both teams scoring.

Looking at the stats, both sides have been pretty generous at the back. Cagliari are letting in 1.30 goals per game at home, while Genoa are leaking 1.60 on their travels. At the same time, both have been finding the net regularly enough - Cagliari scoring in 50% of their recent games, Genoa in 70% of theirs.

The bookies have got this as a proper 50-50 job with both teams priced at 2.75 for the win, which tells you everything you need to know about how close they expect this to be. Given both teams' defensive woes and their tendency to both score and concede, I'm leaning towards both teams getting on the scoresheet here.