Following their fightback in the Derby della Mole, 10th-placed Torino host improving Cagliari on Sunday, seeking to consolidate their top-half position in Serie A.

Having held city rivals Juventus to a draw last time out, the Granata will now face a side that have lost only once since the start of the year.

Match preview

Demonstrating the resilience instilled by coach Ivan Juric this season, Torino were able to recover from an early Matthijs de Ligt goal in last week's Turin Derby, as attacking talisman Andrea Belotti rode to the rescue with a second-half equaliser at the Allianz Stadium.

However, they are now without a win in their last four league games, which equals their longest such streak since Juric took the reins last summer - also allowing Sassuolo and Bologna to gather behind them in the standings as they pursue a top 10 finish.

Now only ahead of the former on goal difference - though still with a game in hand - Torino have nonetheless progressed this term, having finished 16th and 17th in their previous two campaigns. Indeed, with a helping hand from survival specialist Davide Nicola - recently appointed coach at struggling Salernitana - they escaped demotion to Serie B by just four points last year.

Living in the shadow of Juventus for several decades now, Il Toro's best top-flight campaign since the turn of the century dates back to a seventh-placed finish in 2018-19 - losing just seven games all season under the guidance of Walter Mazzarri.

The Piedmont club will come face to face with their former boss again on Sunday, as he brings a revived Cagliari side to Turin in desperate need of points to avoid relegation.

Having lost only two of their last 14 matches against the Sardinians in Serie A - while scoring 27 goals in the process - Torino have been the dominant side in this match-up of late, but were held to a 1-1 draw in December's reverse fixture.

Since snatching a point on home soil against Saturday's hosts, Cagliari have come a long way, and as bleak as their conclusion to 2021 was, the Isolani have been among the brightest lights at the bottom of the table this year.

Given their newfound form - and a series of other upsets across Serie A last week - it was almost no surprise that Mazzarri's men held the lead against Scudetto contenders Napoli heading into the final minutes of their encounter on Monday, but a sting in the tail ultimately forced them to settle for a point.

Victor Osimhen powered in an 87th-minute header which drew the visitors level following Gaston Pereiro's fortunate opening goal, which had been aided by David Ospina clumsily misreading his tame strike.

Ex-Napoli boss Mazzarri now faces another of his former clubs in Sunday's lunchtime kickoff, with his current side now sitting outside the drop zone by virtue of goal difference but still far from assured of safety.

While they have both won and drawn three times since the winter break, Cagliari have taken three points just twice on the road this season and have shipped goals at a rate of nearly two per game when venturing to the mainland. As they have also conceded one goal in each of their league and cup games in 2022, Mazzarri would dearly love a rare clean sheet on Sunday.

Team News

Ivan Juric will have to make at least one change to the side which drew in the Derby, as Rolando Mandragora must serve a suspension for accumulated bookings - just a fortnight after being banned for his red card at Udinese - and will drop out of Torino's midfield.

Tommaso Pobega is expected to replace him on Sunday, with Marko Pjaca being brought in as part of the pairing that supports top scorer Andrea Belotti.

In the past, Belotti has been directly involved in 11 goals in as many matches against Cagliari in Serie A, but has scored only three times in the league this term - having never ended a Serie A season with fewer than six.

Meanwhile, Cagliari could be without a member of their midfield too, as ex-Torino man Daniele Baselli sat out training during the week after taking a heavy blow to the ankle against Napoli.

Walter Mazzarri also has concerns over Damir Ceter and Nahitan Nandez, who are both undergoing individual fitness plans as they recover from their respective injuries, while Marko Rog and Kevin Strootman are still sidelined.

Leonardo Pavoletti and converted forward Gaston Pereiro - who netted his fourth goal of the season on Monday - will battle it out to join captain Joao Pedro in the visitors' front two. The latter has been involved in four goals in his last four Serie A games versus Torino.

Torino possible starting lineup:
Milinkovic-Savic; Zima, Bremer, Rodriguez; Singo, Pobega, Lukic, Vojvoda; Pjaca, Brekalo; Belotti

Cagliari possible starting lineup:
Cragno; Goldaniga, Lovato, Altare; Bellanova, Grassi, Deiola, Marin, Dalbert; Pereiro, Pedro

We say: Torino 1-0 Cagliari

Torino may have tailed off in recent weeks, but will be emboldened by taking a point from perhaps their biggest game of the season, and are now ready to get back on the winning trail.

Several months plagued by injury and lack of match-sharpness has held Andrea Belotti back this term, but his crucial goal at Juve could trigger a more productive patch from the Italy striker - and Cagliari may be among those made to pay.

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