Perugia are bottom of the Serie B table going into matchday 17 against Cagliari. The Grifone are unbeaten in four straight Serie B games, but three of those matches (including the last two consecutive games) ended as draws.
Cagliari are 12th in the standings and just three points above Serie B’s relegation zone. The Islanders are winless in six straight games and are coming off a 1-0 loss away to Ternana. Five of Cagliari’s last six games in Serie B ended as draws.
The Islanders recorded the second-most draws in Serie B after 16 matches with seven. Only Bari’s eight draws eclipse Cagliari’s stalemates.
Perugia have drawn four games in Serie B this season. Three of those four draws came in Perugia’s last four fixtures. The Grifone picked up six points from the last six games in the league. They scored just two goals across the last six games while allowing four goals to opponents.
Cagliari picked up five points from the last six games, with all five points coming from draws. The Islanders allowed eight goals to opponents while scoring seven of their own across the last six matches.
Perugia and Cagliari have not had many recent matches, but they did meet in the Coppa Italia earlier this season. Cagliari won the match 3-2 at home thanks to goals from Giorgio Altare, Gianluca Lapadula, and Nicolas Viola.
The Grifone led at one point 2-1 thanks to goals from Federico Melchiorri and Giuseppe Di Serio. However, Cagliari came back to get the win.
Cagliari coach Fabio Liverani is likely to be without Marko Rog and Marco Mancosu. Both players are suffering from physical discomfort.
Perugia coach Fabrizio Castori could be without four players for the game. Samuel Di Carmine is ruled out with a muscle injury. Defenders Samuele Righetti and Aljaz Struna are both doubts due to injuries. Forward Ryder Matos could miss the game with an undetermined injury problem.
Cagliari have the second-most draws in Serie B this season. The team drew five of their last six games in the league. Their last three home games ended as stalemates. Perugia’s last two road games were draws.
Sunday’s game at the Sardegna Arena is bound to end in a stalemate. The teams should both score as the game ends 1-1 with nothing to separate these draw specialists. Serie B has had 33% of its 160 games before this weekend's round end in draws. The scoreline is the most common in the league, with 15% of matches finishing 1-1.