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Laurie Martin

Cagliari lowdown as Leeds United look to finish pre-season in style at Elland Road

Leeds United round off their pre-season campaign on Sunday when they welcome Serie B side Cagliari to Elland Road. The Whites have returned from their tour of Australia, and now Jesse Marsch has the chance to experiment with a few things in one final pre-season outing before the visit of Wolves next week.

The game at Elland Road was scheduled to kick-off at 6pm, but it has now been moved to 6:45pm to allow Whites supporters the chance to watch the women's Euro 2022 final between England and Germany.

Ahead of Sunday’s clash, here is the lowdown on all you need to know about the Italian side.

How last season went

Last season was a disaster for Cagliari who were relegated from Serie A. This season is the first time they've been in Serie B since the 2015/16 season campaign.

READ MORE: The free agents that Leeds United could still sign this summer amid left-back and striker search

They finished 18th in the table, narrowly missing out on survival by one place and one point. A lack of goals was an issue, with their 34 goals scored the joint third lowest in Serie A, while their 68 goals conceded was only worsened by four teams in the division. They won just two of their final 11 league games - and sacked head coach Walter Mazzarri, formerly of Watford, at the start of May in the hope of avoiding relegation, but the gamble didn't pay off.

Summer transfers

Having been relegated to Serie B, Cagliari's squad is undergoing a bit of a rebuild. Some of their more high-profile players have left, including Giovanni Simeone, Guglielmo Vicario and Joao Pedro, who have joined Hellas Verona, Empoli and Fenerbache respectively.

Six players have come through the door as Cagliari look to bounceback to the Italian top flight under new boss Fabio Liverani, who had a spell in charge at Leyton Orient between 2014 and 2015.

Midfielder Antoine Makoumbou has arrived from Maribor, while experienced striker Gianluca Lapadula and former Bologna midfielder Nicolas Viola have also joined the club.

Pre-season so far

Cagliari's pre-season has been successful, and will have encouraged boss Liverani ahead of their Serie B season getting underway on August 13.

The Italian side have beaten Serie C side Olbia, while they also recorded an impressive 2-1 victory against Ligue 1 outfit Strasbourg on Wednesday. A trip to Elland Road is likely to prove their toughest test so far.

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