Cagliari will welcome Virtus Entella to the Sardegna Arena for a Coppa Italia first-round tie on Sunday night, and the form book plus pre-match odds both point to a routine home victory. The Rossoblu finished 16th in last season’s Serie A but spent the summer reinforcing with experienced heads such as defender Paulo Azzi and midfield anchor Antoine Makoumbou, and their opening-day 0-0 at Torino hinted at better defensive cohesion than in 2022-23. Virtus Entella, meanwhile, were relegated to Serie C two seasons ago and only scraped 13th in Girone A last term; a 1-1 draw at home to Trento on match-day one shows they remain a work in progress under new coach Lorenzo Augusti.
Head-to-head history also favours Cagliari: they have won the only two previous competitive meetings (both in the 2015-16 Serie B season) by an aggregate score of 5-0. More importantly, the Sardinians have beaten lower-league opposition in seven of their last eight cup appearances inside 90 minutes, conceding just twice. Entella’s away record against top-flight sides is bleak—four defeats in five since 2020, scoring once.
Expected line-ups reinforce the gulf. Claudio Ranieri is likely to rotate but will still start proven performers such as striker Leonardo Pavoletti, winger Nicolas Viola and goalkeeper Boris Radunović. Entella must cope without injured centre-back Matteo Saccani, leaving 19-year-old Riccardo Finotto to battle Pavoletti in the air—an obvious mismatch.
Betting markets price a home win at 1.36, with the handicap (-1) available around 1.80. Combining Cagliari to win & under 3.5 goals offers 1.95, reflecting the possibility of a controlled, professional job rather than a rout. Correct-score punters looking for value can consider 2-0 at 5.50, mirroring the last friendly meeting between these clubs.
Prediction: Cagliari 2-0 Virtus Entella
