Cagliari vs Atalanta preview - Cagliari set for Sant'Elena opener

Cagliari will finally turn out at the Stadio Is Arenas on Sunday, but their Serie A meeting with Atalanta will be played behind closed doors.

The Rossoblu were facing a exhausting plane journey across Italy to the north-east outpost of Trieste in order to take on the Orobici, with local Sardinian authorities initially refusing to allow Massimo Ficcadenti's men to begin life at their new home.

Players had threatened to boycott the journey to Stadio Nereo Rocco before an agreement was reached to allow the game to take place in Sant'Elena, albeit to the exclusion of all fans.

Despite the logistical turmoil, and an opening-day defeat at Genoa, Ficcadenti remains optimistic, telling the Gazzetta dello Sport: "In our next game we will eliminate any errors.

"I don't think I can blame the players."

Marco Sau is the only notable absentee for the islanders with Mauricio Pinilla and Thiago Ribeiro expected to start up front

Meanwhile, midfielder Federico Casarini has arrived on loan from Genoa with a view to agreeing a permanent deal.

Counterpart Stefano Colantuono marks his 100th game as a Serie A manager, reaching his century courtesy of spells with both his present employers and at Palermo.

The small matter of a two-point deduction for alleged involvement in match-fixing hangs over Atalanta as they travel to Sardinia, but new recruit Giuseppe De Luca should add firepower from the bench.

Influential Chilean midfielder Carlos Carmona remains sidelined, with Daniele Capelli, Ivan Radovanovic and Guido Marilungo also out of contention.

Maximiliano Moralez and German Denis should start in attack in a match-up which has averaged two goals a game over the last six meetings.