The Tinkerman is alive and well!
May 31, 2023
Claudio Ranieri was up to his old tricks yesterday and helped his Cagliari team (and clubgowi) coming from 2-0 down at the break to defeat Parma 3-2. He made two changes at half time (including taking his captain off) and another three shortly after the hour mark, shifting formation and was rewarded with a lead to take to the second leg. Zito Luvumbo came off the bench to score twice and pick up MOTM plaudits, but we really know that should have gone to The Tinkerman!
OK, I have used a bit of poetic license, Luvumbo was also responsible for the penalty and the Angolan striker was the game changer and Gianluigi Buffon coming off at half time, hardly helped Parma, but the abiding memory of the evening was the ever emotional Ranieri in tears at the end and the second leg is perfectly poised .....
Serie B Promotion playoff semi finals: First Leg
Cagliari- Parma
| 2022/23 | Overall | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||||||
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Gdf | Pts | Form | P | W | D | L | F | A | P | W | D | L | F | A | ||||
| 1 | Frosinone | 38 | 24 | 8 | 6 | 63 | 26 | +37 | 80 | WWWW | 19 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 35 | 11 | 19 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 28 | 15 | ||
| 2 | Genoa1 | 38 | 21 | 11 | 6 | 53 | 28 | +25 | 73 | WLWO | 19 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 29 | 10 | 19 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 24 | 18 | ||
| 3 | Bari | 38 | 17 | 14 | 7 | 58 | 37 | +21 | 65 | LWXX | 19 | 7 | 9 | 3 | 30 | 19 | 19 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 28 | 18 | ||
| 4 | Parma2 | 38 | 17 | 10 | 11 | 48 | 39 | +9 | 60 | WWWX | 19 | 11 | 2 | 6 | 26 | 16 | 19 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 22 | 23 | ||
| 5 | Cagliari | 38 | 15 | 15 | 8 | 50 | 34 | +16 | 60 | WWWW | 19 | 11 | 6 | 2 | 28 | 17 | 19 | 4 | 9 | 6 | 22 | 17 | ||
2) Parma received a one point deduction.
These two will meet again in Parma on Saturday.
The last decade has seen the 20 semi final first leg games playout thus 7-7-6 (1X2), with only four producing 3 or more goals and just one exactly 4 (never more) , eight (four home and four away wins) have come by the same 1-0 scoreline and as you would expect, these are all tight nervy games. In addition, there has been one already played this week and that finished 1-0 to the home side.
Very tight between these two all season and especially over the last 10 games, with both having identical 6-3-1 records, there was something possibly worthy of note in those sequences and that was that Cagliari won their last three home games and Parma three of four on home soil, all by the same 2-1 scoreline. One of those was the h2h meeting in Parma last month, the game in Cagliari ended 1-1.
The hosts are now managed by Claudio Ranieri who returned to the club he led from Serie C to A in consecutive seasons more than three decades ago, on January 1st this year. When he took charge the club were 9th, with a 6-7-6 record and 23-23 goal difference, subsequently they have gone 9-8-2 with an impressive 27-11 GD. The two defeats came at Parma and Modena, both on the road and they have not lost at home since October 1st.
No team in the top 8 won fewer away games than Parma or Cagliari and both will fully expect to have to win their home game to progress and that goes double for today's host given the Serie B playoff rules which state that if these two are tied after the two games, the higher placed team (Parma) will progress to the final.
In addition to 71yo Ranieri, the senior brigade is further represented by 45yo Gianluigi Buffon (over 1,100 professional games!) being in the Parma goal and to say that he will bring experience to the visitors backline is a bit of an understatement.
It bucks the trend somewhat for these games, but 11 of the last 21 first legs have been won by a single goal, there have been plenty of 2-1 scorelines when both teams have been hosting and Cagliari have scored in 15/17 at home and Parma in 7/8 on the road and h2h wise, both teams have scored in 5/6 meetings and the last four played in Sardinia.
Both to score at 2.02 makes some appeal as does adding Cagliari to win for 5.40 + and you do feel they need a lead to take to the return leg and for Ranieri to continue his promotion record at the club.
Cagliari to win and both teams to score 5.47 asian line.
Good luck!
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