Cagliari Coach Diego Lopez has to reshuffle his side and expects Atalanta to be “a tough prospect” this evening.
Cagliari Coach Diego Lopez has to reshuffle his side and expects Atalanta to be “a tough prospect” this evening.
The Sardinians begin their campaign at ‘home’, which for the moment is the Stadio Nereo Rocco in Trieste. Click here for a match preview.
That situation shouldn’t last long, though, as this week a deal was struck with the Cagliari council to perform the necessary reconstruction work at the Stadio Sant’Elia.
“I hope we can play at the Sant’Elia from the next home game against Sampdoria. That’s not just better for us, but also for our fans,” said Lopez.
“I always said I had faith in the President, who has been working for some time to resolve this situation. Now I think we finally have the solution.”
Andrea Cossu is unavailable due to injury, joining long-term absentee Francesco Pisano in the stands.
“Andrea is a difficult player to replace. Last season we used other systems and, although it’s true we now no longer have Thiago Ribeiro, the four strikers at our disposal can adapt to different solutions.
“Atalanta are a very organised side with a great Coach, so it’s difficult to play against them. They are a tough prospect who press you constantly and have forwards who can make the difference.”
Cagliari squad for Atalanta: Agazzi, Avramov; Ariaudo, Astori, Avelar, Del Fabro, Murru, Oikonomou, Perico, Rossettini; Cabrera, Conti, Dessena, Ekdal, Eriksson, Nainggolan; Ibarbo, Nenè, Pinilla, Sau