17 December 2014
After securing their Serie A survival with three games to spare in 2013/14, Cagliari have struggled to kick on this season and currently find themselves embroiled in another relegation battle, lying one point adrift of 17th placed Chievo in the drop zone.
Four straight defeats set the tone for a difficult opening to the campaign, with their first victory eventually arriving towards the end of September, courtesy of a 4-1 demolition job on Inter at the San Siro in which Albin Ekdal hit a sensational hat-trick.
A narrow reverse against Verona and draw with Sampdoria preceded their second win of the season in mid-October - another high scoring affair - with Empoli buckling under the weight of four first-half goals in 15 minutes.
That remains the last time the Rossoblu emerged victorious, although in spite of heavy defeats at the hands of Fiorentina (4-0) and Lazio (4-2), their fighting spirit enabled them to come behind three times against Napoli to secure a 3-3 draw at the San Paolo, as well a creditable point against Milan.
Approaching Thursday’s game off the back of a 0-0 draw with rock bottom side Parma, Zdenek Zeman’s men know they will need to bring their seven-game winless run to an end sooner rather than later if they are to prevent being cast adrift in the new year.
