Match Preview :

Cagliari will be keen to improve on their away record which have seen them won just seven of their last 39 games on their travels in Serie A.

Novara on the other hand will be hoping to keep a first clean sheet as that is something they find very hard to do this season.

Novara's new Coach Emiliano Mondonico certainly didn't had a memorable start to his career after defeat in his first match in charge of the side. The team have been bottom of the League and with only one win collected since Week 4, questions have been asked about the player's commitment to the side. It seems that the players can't perform to the task.

At the moment, President Massimo De Salvo seems to have prepared for life in Serie B once again after having seen them rise from Serie C1 through to A in two seasons.

To make matters worse for Novara, the fixture list does not get any easier either. Nevertheless Mondonico, who has faced and won challenging battles before, is not preparing for Serie B just yet. He will give the team motivational talks and the 64 says the team is prepared to fight no matter what the result is.

If there is one good omen Mondonico will hope for is that Mondonico’s last Serie A win as a Coach was over Cagliari in September 2004.

Meanwhile for Cagliari, they also need motivation coming into this match. After beating Roma 4-2 in their last match in midweek, Davide Ballardini will want to make sure it was not a flash in the pan and they will aim for back to back wins here. This was evident after they drew with Juventus 1-1 then managed a 0-0 draw at home to Fiorentina before going down to Milan 3-0.

Their problems remains scoring goals, but recent performances from Victor Ibarbo and Thiago Ribeiro shows that they are taking steps to improve on their poor scoring record. They will hope to use this match to improve on that record.

Presently, Cagliari are are still averaging just a goal a game under the Coach almost the same ratio they managed under predecessor Massimo Ficcadenti - and worringly only Novara and Fiorentina have failed to score in more games than Cagliari since Ballardini took over the side. But the record shows that no side has failed to score against Novara this season, so Cagliari, despite their poor away record should score in this match as well.

Possible lineups

Novara : Ujkani; Morganella, Lisuzzo, Paci, Rinaudo, Gemiti; Jensen, Pesce, Rigoni; Mascara, Caracciolo

Cagliari : Agazzi; Pisano, Canini, Astori, Agostini; Dessena, Conti, Nainggolan; Ekdal; Pinilla, Ibarbo

Prediction

Mondonico will inspire the home side and if you believe in good omens, his last win as Serie A coach was over Cagliari in September 2004.

Go for Novara to spring a surprise here and get the win.

The Statistics :

The Pick :

Novara 2-1 Cagliari

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

Go for a surprise Novara win here.

HANDICAP BETTING :

Main Bet :
Expect the unexpected and get on Novara to get the win here.
On Level Ball stakes are returned in the event of a draw.