Cagliari’s Mattia Felici Out for Season Ahead of Atalanta Clash
Cagliari forward Mattia Felici has been ruled out for the season after suffering a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, his second ACL injury in nine months. The setback leaves Fabio Pisacane short of attacking options for Saturday’s Serie A trip to Atalanta, kicking off at 2:45 PM on September 12, 2026.
Felici had previously damaged the ACL in his left knee and is joined on Cagliari’s injury list by Riyad Idrissi and Yael Trepy. Atalanta also have absences to manage, with Isak Hien and Kamaldeen Sulemana unavailable through injury, while Gianluca Gaetano serves a suspension.
Who is affected
- Atalanta: Maurizio Sarri is expected to select Marco Carnesecchi behind Lorenzo Bernasconi, Davide Zappacosta, Giorgio Scalvini and Odilon Kossounou. Ederson, Franck Kessie and Lazar Samardzic could form the midfield, with Eljif Elmas and Charles De Ketelaere supplying Gianluca Scamacca.
- Cagliari: Elia Caprile is in line to start in goal. Juan Rodriguez, Alessandro Deiola, Adam Obert and Ze Pedro are projected in defence, with Harry Winks, Michel Ndary Adopo and Alessandro Romano in midfield. Daniel Maldini, Jacopo Fazzini and Paul Mendy are the expected attacking unit.
- Felici: The injury is a major blow for Cagliari, ending the young forward’s campaign before it has gained momentum.
What comes next
Atalanta host ninth-placed Cagliari at the New Balance Arena in Bergamo, with the home side sitting eighth in the early Serie A standings. The teams are separated by only a small gap, adding weight to the points available this weekend.
Sarri’s team saw a three-game winning sequence stopped by a 2-1 loss to Roma. That run included a 1-0 league victory over Bologna and Conference League qualifying progress after a goalless first leg against Hapoel Tel Aviv was followed by a 1-0 away win.
Cagliari arrive after beating Lecce 1-0, responding to defeats against Hellas Verona in the Coppa Italia and Inter in Serie A. Pisacane’s side have won three of their last five in all competitions, including 1-0 successes away to Parma and against S.S. Arezzo.
The last meeting went Cagliari’s way, a 3-2 home victory in April 2026. Cagliari have taken three of the previous five head-to-head matches, while Atalanta won the most recent Bergamo encounter 2-1 in December 2025. Across those five games, each club has scored 10 times.
