Cagliari's Ze Pedro says Roma are strong but Cagliari want points

Roma met Cagliari at the Stadio Olimpico in a Serie A match valid for the 9th round, and a VAR review proved decisive early on. In the 8th minute, referee Ermanno Feliciani of the Teramo section awarded Cagliari a penalty after checking the monitor, judging that a handball by Roma midfielder Niccolò Pisilli had been committed. The ball rebounded off the Roma player's arm following an opponent's header. Feliciani was assisted by Zingarelli and Fontani, with Ghersini on VAR. The referee was recalled to the monitor and ruled the contact punishable despite the close distance between the two players, a call that put Roma under immediate pressure in the opening minutes of the game. The article's key episodes focus on the penalty decision, which was reviewed in full on the monitor before the award was given to Cagliari. Further match-official details for the rest of the fixture are reported in the original feature.

Bookmaker odds and predictions have been published for this weekend's Roma-Cagliari and Venezia-Inter fixtures, according to the Italian original's betting preview. The Italian headline of the piece is a betting preview covering both matches, with the odds from bookmakers set out for each game.

Roma head coach Gian Piero Gasperini has said that leaving Donyell Malen out of the side for the Roma-Cagliari clash, the ninth round of Serie A at the Stadio Olimpico, was a choice dictated by the fixture schedule. Speaking before the match, Gasperini said: "Sicuramente tutte le partite hanno difficoltà, diverse ma ci sono. È chiaro che giocare così ravvicinati genera acciacchi e strascichi. Non è la stessa cosa di giocare una volta a settimana. Però può dare fiducia ai giocatori, anche a quelli che giocano di meno. È una opportunità per loro." In English: "Every match has its difficulties, different ones, but they are there. It is clear that playing so close together produces knocks and aftereffects. It is not the same as playing once a week. But it can give confidence to the players, even to those who play less. It is an opportunity for them." The fixture is being played against a backdrop of congested fixtures, and Gasperini drew a comparison with the recent match against Genoa. He asked whether Roma can prove they are a great side in such a tight run of games, and said that the schedule makes recovery and player wear a real factor for the squad. Looking ahead to the opponents, Gasperini said he expects Cagliari to be ready to push forward play down the flanks and in attack. He singled out Nzola and Fadera as players to watch, noting that Cagliari have important changes on the bench. Roma, he said, must play with quality and tempo. Asked whether leaving out Malen, who is a key figure for the side, signalled a guarantee of strength in depth, Gasperini replied: "È figlia del calendario questa scelta. E poi castro ha giocato due partite fa ed è stato determinante. In un calendario così fitto dobbiamo avere tutti i giocatori al meglio, non solo Malen." In English: "This choice is a product of the calendar. And then Castro played two matches ago and was decisive. In such a packed schedule we must have all our players at their best, not only Malen." Santiago Castro's recent performance was highlighted as evidence of the squad's depth, with Gasperini stressing that the whole group needs to be fit and sharp.