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

Roma have not lost a league game this season. They have not exactly cruised either, with Saturday's 3-3 draw at Napoli a reminder that the defence can be stretched.

The visit of Cagliari on Tuesday night looks a kind fixture on paper. The Sardinians arrive after two heavy defeats, a 4-0 loss at Monza on 19 October followed by a 2-0 home defeat to Bologna on Saturday. They have not scored in either.

Roma sit third on 18 points, four behind the leaders, and the Champions League places are in their sights. Cagliari are ninth and drifting.

Roma have won five and drawn three of their eight league games, scoring 19 and conceding six. Their home record is three wins and a draw, with 10 goals scored and three conceded. Only two sides have a better record on points.

The pattern is consistent. They have kept five clean sheets, scored in seven of eight games and hit four goals on two occasions, against Fiorentina and at Lecce. The last three outings produced a 2-0 win over Genoa, a goalless draw at Como and the 3-3 at Napoli.

Cagliari have four wins, one draw and three defeats, and sit on 13 points. The record is flattering to a side that has scored six goals in eight games, the lowest of anyone in the top half. They have failed to score in three of their eight matches.

The away form is better than the home form. Cagliari have won three of four on the road, including 2-1 at Atalanta and 1-0 at Udinese, but have taken just four points from four at home. The numbers underneath are not kind. They average 9.75 shots a game, 42.9% possession and an expected goals figure of 1.11 against 1.81 conceded. Safety is not a worry yet, but a third straight defeat would turn the mood.

Roma's last eight league games read five wins, three draws and no defeats. Cagliari's read four wins, one draw and three defeats, with the last two lost and the previous result a 1-1 draw with Juventus. Roma have scored 2.38 goals per game and conceded 0.75. Cagliari have scored 0.75 and conceded 1.13. The form guide favours the hosts heavily. The one caveat is that Roma have drawn their last two away games and let in three at Napoli, so the visitors cannot be written off for a goal.

Roma are third with 18 points from eight games, level with fourth-placed AC Milan and four behind Inter and Lazio, who both have 22. A win would keep them in touch with the top two. They are also four points clear of sixth-placed Frosinone, so the Champions League places are theirs for now.

Cagliari are ninth with 13 points from eight games and a goal difference of minus three. They are one point behind Torino in eighth and four ahead of Napoli in tenth. Frosinone and Juventus on 14 are within one win. A defeat would stretch the losing run to three and drag them back towards the pack below.

Roma have won seven of the last ten meetings, Cagliari two, with one draw. The average is 2.7 goals a game. Both teams have scored in four of the ten (40%) and five have gone over 2.5 goals (50%). The last meeting was at the Stadio Olimpico on 9 February 2026, when Roma won 2-0. Cagliari had won the reverse fixture 1-0 on 7 December 2025.

The pattern is lopsided rather than open. Cagliari have scored in only four of the ten, and at the Olimpico Roma have won 4-0 (February 2024), 1-0 (March 2025) and 2-0 (February 2026) in the last three. That points to a Roma win and a Both Teams to Score lean towards No. The goals line is a coin toss on history, but Cagliari's scoring is so poor that the margin has to come from the hosts.

The biggest gap is in attack. Roma average 5.75 shots on target and 2.14 expected goals per game, against 3.63 and 1.11 for Cagliari. Roma have the ball for 56.1% of the time, Cagliari for 42.9%.

The second is at set pieces. Roma earn 5.88 corners a game and allow 2.5. Cagliari earn 3.63 and concede 6.25. Expect sustained pressure and plenty of corners in front of the visiting goal. Cagliari's best hope is to sit deep, as they did to beat Atalanta away, and hit on the break.

The game kicks off at 19:45 GMT on Tuesday 27 October at the Stadio Olimpico. A UK broadcaster has not been confirmed for this fixture yet. This page will be updated closer to kick-off.

The value sits in the goals market rather than the result. Roma are 3/10 to win, but Cagliari have failed to score in three of eight league games and Roma have kept five clean sheets in eight. That makes Both Teams to Score: No at 4/5 the sturdier price, and the one the bet builder leans on.