Cagliari is searching for stability after securing their place in Serie A last season under the guidance of Claudio Ranieri. The club has now turned to Davide Nicola, a coach known for his resilience and ability to deliver results, even in challenging situations. With significant changes in the squad, fantasy football enthusiasts will find it tricky to navigate potential starters, formation battles, penalty takers, and which players to pick.
Nandez and Dossena have departed, moving to Saudi Arabia and Como, respectively, while the loans of Oristanio, Gaetano, Petagna, and Shomurodov have expired. Cagliari welcomed two trusted players from Empoli, Sebastiano Luperto and Razvan Marin, who have both worked with Nicola previously. Additionally, in a deal involving Sulemana with Atalanta, they have brought in Zortea, Piccoli, and Adopo. To strengthen their goalkeeping lineup, they have secured Albanian keeper Alen Sherri as their second choice.
Luperto and Marin will be key figures for the new Cagliari. Luperto, a reliable center-back, is expected to earn consistent positive ratings, while Marin brings a scoring touch, proficient in taking corners and free kicks, and frequently shooting from distance. In attack, Zito Luvumbo is ready to shine this season after contributing four goals and five assists in the 2023-24 campaign, and he is likely to partner with Roberto Piccoli, who scored five goals while often coming off the bench last year at Lecce. With a more prominent role anticipated this season, he could flourish.
A surprise candidate could be left winger Mattia Felici, who joined from Feralpisalò for €2 million. If he adapts well to the higher level of competition, he could deliver several bonuses, given his last season’s tally of four goals and five assists in the Serie B.
The projected formation for the new season (3-5-2) is Scuffet; Luperto, Mina, Obert; Zortea, Makoumbou, Prati, Adopo, Felici; Luvumbo, Piccoli. Backup considerations include Zortea/Zappa, Prati/Marin, and Piccoli/Lapadula for various roles. As for set pieces, penalties could be taken by Viola, Piccoli, or Mina, while free kicks might fall to Viola, Luvumbo, or Zappa.
