Inter Milan's Dominance Continues Against Cagliari
Inter head to Sardinia on Sunday night with the numbers already stacked heavily in their favour. Thirteen Serie A games unbeaten against Cagliari. Twenty straight meetings in which the Sardinians have failed to keep a clean sheet. The champions know this fixture well – and they usually leave with points and goals.
This time, though, both sides arrive with early-season wind in their sails.
Cagliari’s gritty start – and a shadow on the touchline
Fabio Pisacane’s men opened with a hard-earned 1-0 win away at Parma. It was exactly the kind of performance he wants this team to embody: aggressive, front-foot, and unafraid to shoot from range.
New signing Alessandro Romano, brought in from Roma in the summer, settled it with a thumping left-footed strike from 25 metres. Cagliari also hit the post twice and largely pinned Parma back, who offered very little going forward. On another day, the scoreline is heavier.
Yet the build-up to Inter carries a different tone. Yael Trepy, still recovering from a serious swimming pool accident, remains in hospital and will miss the game despite leaving intensive care. The squad travels with that in mind.
Agustin Albarracín is also out, but Pisacane has no suspensions to worry about. There was a boost in training this week as new arrival Alieu Fadera joined the group for the first time. Whether he features or not, Cagliari’s core is clear: a compact unit, organised and combative, looking to frustrate the champions and strike when the chance comes.
Inter start like champions
Inter’s title defence began in a very different mood: ruthless and loud at San Siro. Cristian Chivu watched his side dismantle Monza 4-1, with goals spread all over the pitch.
Hakan Çalhanoğlu struck first, then Piotr Zieliński, Francesco Pio Esposito and Yann Bisseck all found the net after Gustavo Varela’s brief equaliser. It was the kind of multi-source threat that has defined Inter’s dominance: if you shut down one, two more step up.
Chivu has the luxury every coach craves at this stage of the season – a fully fit squad and no suspensions. John Stones made his debut off the bench against Monza, while Curtis Jones and Djed Spence stayed sidelined, not yet ready to feature. Spence is still building up after a late start to pre-season.
Inter’s depth is obvious. So is their rhythm.
Probable lineups
Cagliari expected XI:
Caprile; Zé Pedro, Deiola, Rodríguez, Obert; Adopo, Winks, Romano; Fazzini, Maldini, Mendy
Inter Milan expected XI:
J. Martínez; Bisseck, Akanji, Bastoni; Diouf, Barella, Çalhanoğlu, Zielinski, Dimarco; Lautaro Martínez, Pio Esposito
Chivu looks set to stick with the back three of Bisseck, Manuel Akanji and Alessandro Bastoni that kept Monza largely quiet, with Andy Diouf and Federico Dimarco providing width and Barella–Çalhanoğlu–Zielinski controlling the centre. Up front, Lautaro Martínez and Pio Esposito again offer a blend of craft, movement and penalty-box instinct.
Inter’s fast starts – and one reason for caution
Inter needed only six minutes to open the scoring against Monza, Diouf picking out Çalhanoğlu, who lashed a right-footed shot into the roof of the net. That wasn’t a one-off surge. They have scored first in each of their last nine Serie A meetings with Cagliari, and they’ve gone in ahead at half-time in six of the last eight.
The pattern is clear: Inter grab the initiative early and rarely let go.
There is a wrinkle. The most recent clash between these sides, a 3-0 Inter win at San Siro, was still goalless at the break before Marcus Thuram, Nicolò Barella and Zieliński blew it open in the second half. Pisacane’s instinct is to set his team up to defend deep and narrow, particularly in big games. That could slow Inter’s early surge, at least for a while.
Even so, with Inter’s habit of starting strongly and their superiority across the pitch, backing them to lead at half-time and full-time has clear logic behind it.
Inter’s grip on Sardinia
Cagliari’s home crowd will come expecting a fight. History suggests Inter will bring something colder: control.
The Nerazzurri have won their last three trips to Sardinia without conceding. A 2-0 win in August 2023, sealed by Denzel Dumfries and Lautaro Martínez. A 3-0 victory in December 2024. Another 2-0 success last September, Lautaro and Pio Esposito on the scoresheet.
The most recent meeting was one-way traffic. Cagliari managed just six shots and not a single effort on target as Inter dictated tempo, territory, and chances.
Chivu’s current back three already showed against Monza that they can suffocate opponents. Cagliari do carry some threat – they struck the woodwork twice at Parma – but they will have far less space here. With Inter’s defensive structure and Cagliari’s struggles to create clear chances in this fixture, another clean sheet for the champions sits firmly on the table.
Esposito’s moment
Francesco Pio Esposito is no longer just a prospect. He is playing like a forward intent on forcing his way into the permanent conversation.
He opened his account for the season with a clever backheel finish from Diouf’s cross against Monza, the kind of instinctive movement that unsettles defenders. The Unipol Domus holds good memories for him too: last season he arrived at the back post to turn in Dimarco’s low cross and claim his first ever Serie A goal.
Chivu trusted him to start alongside Lautaro at San Siro, leaving Thuram and Bonny on the bench. That says plenty about the 21-year-old’s standing right now. He is not just filling minutes; he is competing for a regular place in the XI.
Given his expected involvement and growing confidence, backing Esposito to score again feels aligned with the direction of his career rather than a gamble against it.
How it all shapes up
Form, history, and squad depth all lean the same way. Inter arrive as champions, unbeaten in 13 league meetings with Cagliari, and carrying a defence that has turned trips to Sardinia into routine business.
Cagliari, though, have a platform: a solid opening win, a coach who knows how to organise a low block, and a stadium that can turn hostile quickly. If they can drag Inter into a tight, tense game, the narrative shifts.
If they can’t, this could look like so many nights before – Inter in control, Inter scoring first, and Inter walking away from the Unipol Domus with another clean, efficient reminder of why the Scudetto still runs through Milan.
