Udinese vs Cagliari: Serie A Preview, Kick-Off Time and Team News

Udinese welcome Cagliari to the Bluenergy Stadium on 19 September, with the Serie A fifth-round fixture scheduled to begin at 9:00 AM. The hosts are seeking to halt a difficult league run, while fifth-placed Cagliari travel to Udine after consecutive wins.

Form and stakes in Udine

1. Udinese opened their recent sequence with a Coppa Italia win over Venezia and a league victory away to Monza.
2. They then drew one match before suffering a 2-1 home defeat against Lazio.
3. Kosta Runjaic’s team followed that result with a 5-3 loss at Inter last Monday, having allowed two goals during the first 15 minutes.
4. Cagliari’s five-game run includes three victories, one draw and one defeat, with five goals scored and four conceded.
5. Fabio Pisacane’s side lost 2-1 to Hellas Verona in the Coppa Italia but have since beaten Lecce 1-0 and won 2-1 at Atalanta.

Udinese have collected four points from their past five fixtures in all competitions, scoring eight times and conceding nine. They begin the round in 13th position and need a result to move clear of the lower part of the table.

Cagliari’s win at Atalanta was their latest outing and has left them fifth in the early standings. The visitors will look to maintain their place among the division’s leading group.

Team news

Nicolò Zaniolo has resumed work with the Udinese squad after the muscular problem he sustained in August, although he remains among the players unavailable for this match as he rebuilds fitness. Alessandro Zanoli, Matteo Palma and Juan Arizala are also ruled out through injury.

Runjaic is expected to select Maduka Okoye in goal. Enzo Ebosse, Christian Kabasele and James Abankwah are the projected defensive unit, with Jürgen Ekkelenkamp, Hassane Kamara, Mërgim Vojvoda, Jesper Karlström and Lennon Miller in midfield. Unai Gómez and Keinan Davis are set to lead the attack.

Cagliari have no suspended players but face several absences. Riyad Idrissi, Mattia Felici, Yael Trepy, Ze Pedro, M’Bala Nzola and Daniel Maldini are unavailable.

Maldini’s absence follows an incident in Milan after the Atalanta match. Club president Tommaso Giulini has supported the player, saying preliminary testing showed traces of THC rather than more serious substances.

Elia Caprile is expected to start in goal for Cagliari, with Adam Obert, Alessandro Deiola, Roberto Gagliardini and Juan Rodríguez listed in defence. Michel Ndary Adopo, Demi Akarakiri, Alessandro Romano, Jacopo Fazzini, Harry Winks and Paul Mendy complete the projected side.

Recent head-to-head record

Udinese won the most recent meeting, taking a 2-0 victory away at Cagliari in May 2026. Across the clubs’ last five encounters, Udinese have recorded three wins and two draws, while Cagliari have not won in that spell.

Udinese have scored seven goals in those five matches, compared with Cagliari’s three.

How to watch

The match will be shown live on Paramount+ and Peacock.