Roma v Cagliari: preview, predicted line-ups & team news

Roma arrive at the Olimpico with a record no other Serie A side can match. They have played eight league games and have not lost one.

They were last in action on Saturday, when they came back from the Napoli game with a 3-3 draw. It was their third draw in four league games, and it kept them third, level on 18 points with AC Milan and four behind leaders Inter and Lazio.

Cagliari are the opposite story. They won three in a row in September and have since lost to Monza and Bologna, scoring no goals in either game. They are ninth, but they come to Rome in poor form.

Roma's league form reads WWWWDDWD, with four wins in a row before the run of draws began. The hosts have scored 19 goals and conceded six, a goal difference of plus 13. At home they have won three and drawn one, scoring 10 and conceding three.

The pattern is front-loaded. They beat Fiorentina 4-0 and Lecce 4-0 in August, then drew 2-2 with Inter and 0-0 at Como before the Genoa win.

The only worry is the 3-3 at Napoli. It was the first time they had conceded more than once in a league game this season.

Cagliari sit ninth on 13 points from eight games, with a goal difference of minus three. They have scored six goals all season and failed to score in three of their eight games.

Their away record is better than their home one. They have won three of four on the road, and four of their six goals have come away from home. At home they have won one of four and scored twice.

They average 43% possession and 9.75 shots per game, so a result in Rome would need a big defensive effort. They have conceded nine, and the 4-0 at Monza on 19 October was their heaviest defeat of the campaign.

Roma's last eight league games read five wins and three draws with no defeats. Cagliari have four wins, one draw and three defeats. The raw split favours the hosts, and the underlying numbers back it up. Roma average 2.15 expected goals for and 1.24 against. Cagliari manage 1.07 for and concede 1.81. Roma's trend is steady, with only one failure to score. Cagliari's form is falling, with three blanks in eight and two heavy defeats in the last two games. The one caveat is that Roma have drawn three of their last four, so results have not always matched the control they have had.

Roma are third on 18 points from eight games, level with fourth-placed Milan on points and four behind Inter and Lazio, who both have 22. A win keeps them in touch with the top two, and it would leave them at least six clear of fifth-placed Como, who have 17 points, if Como do not win. Frosinone and Juventus are on 14.

Cagliari are ninth on 13 points, one behind Torino and a point ahead of Napoli. They are five points off the Champions League places and nine above the bottom three, so a defeat does little damage. A point in Rome would be a good result for them.

Roma have won seven of 10 meetings, with one draw and two Cagliari wins. The games average 2.7 goals. Four of the 10 saw both teams score (40%) and five went over 2.5 goals (50%). The last meeting was a 2-0 Roma win at the Olimpico on 9 February 2026.

The history points to a Roma win by a clear margin and few goals for the visitors. Cagliari have not scored at the Olimpico in any of the last three visits, and in the last five meetings they have scored only once, in a 1-0 win at home. That makes both teams to score a poor angle. With Roma scoring 2.4 per game and Cagliari so short of goals, a 2-0 is the most likely scoreline. The over 2.5 line is closer to a coin flip.

The biggest gap is in the attack. Roma average 2.38 goals per game and 5.75 shots on target. Cagliari average 0.75 goals and 3.63 shots on target. Roma also have 56% possession to Cagliari's 43%.

The second is set pieces. Roma average 5.88 corners per game and concede 2.5. Cagliari win 3.63 and concede 6.25, so expect a lot of pressure on their box. Cagliari's best hope is an early goal. Three of their six goals this season have come between the 16th and 30th minute, and Roma have not conceded in the first 15 minutes at any point this season.

Roma: Vasquez; Mancini, Ndicka, Koulierakis; Rensch, Cristante, de Roon, Wesley; Soule

The game kicks off at 19:45 GMT on Tuesday 27 October at the Stadio Olimpico. Serie A is shown on DAZN where selected in the UK. We have not seen a source naming this fixture on TNT Sports or the BBC, so DAZN is the only confirmed route. This page will be updated if that changes.

The value is in the goals markets, not the result. Roma at 1/3 is too short to build around, but Cagliari have scored six goals in eight games and Roma have kept five clean sheets in eight. That points to a Roma win with the visitors blanked.