Serie A Matchweek 5 brings together two sides with very different early season stories when Udinese host Cagliari on 19 September 2026. Udinese sit 13th with four points from four matches, a mixed start that has exposed real problems at the back, while Cagliari are up in fifth with nine points and only two goals conceded. The visitors arrive off a 2-1 win at Atalanta on 12 September, riding a W-W-L-W run in recent league matches, whereas Udinese have shipped ten goals across four league outings after producing attacking moments in a 3-5 home defeat to Inter on 14 September. Udinese need to steady a campaign that has already featured heavy losses, Cagliari want to prove their defensive record holds up on the road.
Kosta Runjaic and Fabio Pisacane have never faced each other as managers, making this a first tactical comparison between the two. Runjaic took charge at Udinese on 1 July 2024, replacing Fabio Cannavaro and has built the team around a 3-4-2-1, while Pisacane, appointed on 11 June 2025, has continued the post Ranieri focus on defensive structure using flexible 4-3-2-1 and 4-2-3-1 shapes.
Udinese's last five competitive results, a 3-5 home loss to Inter, a 1-2 defeat at Lazio, a Coppa Italia win over Venezia and mixed showings before that, point to a defence that has already shipped ten goals in four league games. Cagliari, by contrast, have been steady, their 2-1 win at Atalanta following a 1-0 victory over Lecce in a W-W-L-W run in recent league matches.
Udinese are missing bodies across the squad, with Oumar Solet (thigh), Matteo Palma (muscle), Juan Arizala (thigh), Alessandro Zanoli (cruciate) and Jakub Piotrowski all ruled out and Nicolò Zaniolo absent through a hamstring complaint. Runjaic will need to reshuffle his back three and make tactical concessions that limit what the wing backs can do going forward. Cagliari arrive with their own absentees, Riyad Idrissi, Yael Trepy and M. Felici all out with injuries, Ze Pedro a doubt and Daniel Maldini questionable for disciplinary reasons. Maldini, who has scored twice already this season, is the most disruptive absence because without him Cagliari lose their main creative outlet and fall back on Harry Winks to carry the midfield.
Udinese's 3-4-2-1 relies on wing backs like Hassane Kamara pushing high to deliver crosses while Jurgen Ekkelenkamp supports striker Keinan Davis from midfield and both have scored twice in the league already, so Cagliari's midfield screen will need to track them closely. The injury picture complicates things considerably for the hosts: losing Solet removes their most reliable ball player from the back three, while Zanoli's absence shrinks their options down the right and that may push Cagliari to press Udinese's reshuffled back three rather than waiting in their own half. Cagliari's compact defensive shape is built around goalkeeper Elia Caprile, who is central to why their goals against figure is so low and Winks provides composure at the base of the midfield. If Maldini misses out, whoever fills the wide areas behind the striker will need to do more of the creative work but the bigger question is simpler than that: if Cagliari's midfield three stay compact and deny Kamara the space to combine with the number tens, Udinese have few other ways to create.
Udinese have the better of this fixture historically with 16 wins from around 33 meetings. The most recent encounter, a 2-0 away win at Cagliari on 9 May 2026, ended with Udinese scoring twice in a game Cagliari had little answer to, though the visitor's defensive numbers this season are a different proposition from what Udinese faced then. Without Solet, Udinese may also struggle to defend corners and long throws, giving Cagliari a useful route to goal if they can maintain their shape from dead balls. A win at Atalanta is the kind of result that confirms belief rather than just builds it and Cagliari arrive as the more settled side by some distance.
A draw feels right. Davis, Ekkelenkamp and Kamara have combined for four league goals already and should find space behind a Cagliari line that pushes high when confident but the defensive absences are too widespread to expect much solidity at the back. Cagliari's organisation has already produced results against stronger opposition and even without Maldini they have the structure and Winks' composure to make life difficult. Call it 1-1.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
