Juventus' final change sees Mario Lemina replace Dybala.
OFF THE LINE! Raffael does well to save Mandzukic's initial effort, with his momentum taking him into the goal, but he's somehow able to get a foothold and thrust himself forward again to bat Dybala's rebound off the line! That's absolutely sensational!
Play goes back the other way and Mandzukic commits a foul, which earns him a yellow.
90'
There will be three minutes added on at the end of this match.
88'
That looks to be the end of it there, as Juventus's search for a third goal will likely wind up fruitless. Cagliari are waving the white flag and as we enter the final minutes, Juventus seem willing to oblige.
86'
OVER! Poor effort there from Dybala, who again wins the debate with Pjanic over who gets to take it. You'd have to imagine that next time, if there is a next time, it will be Pjanic who takes charge of the situation.
85'
D. Di Gennaro gets yellow.
Di Gennaro is the latest to see his name in the book for a foul on Dybala. This one is in the perfect area now for Juventus to bag a third.
84'
STAT: Juventus have won their last two league away matches against Sassuolo and Crotone: the last time they won three in a row was in April 2016.
82'
S. Padoin enters the game and replaces F. Pisacane.
Another former Juventus players comes on here in Simone Padoin, who replaces Piscane.
80'
Just once this season has Cagliari failed to score in a league match on home soil, in a 5-0 defeat to Napoli, but they're on course for a second unless they can stir up a bit of late magic.
78'
M. Isla gets yellow.
Isla goes through Rugani in attempt to win the ball back high up the pitch, and that will see him into the book.
Minute
Description
77'
It's all coming to life! The teams are exchanging chances here as time winds down on the match. Cagliari respond with a free-kick of their own, but Bruno Alves' effort is inches wide, with Buffon left rooted to his spot!
75'
V. Ibarbo enters the game and replaces M. Borriello.
Borriello's night is done as he's replaced her by Victor Ibarbo.
74'
Much ado about nothing! Dybala and Pjanic stand over a free-kick in a threatening position, just under 30 yards out. It's the former who takes, but he's unable to lift his strike over the wall.
73'
INCHES AWAY! Back come Juventus and Mandzukic comes oh so close to putting the final nail in the Cagliari coffin as he sends a header agonisingly wide of the far post!
71'
STUNNING SAVE! That's one out of the top drawer from Buffon, showing no signs of age whatsoever as he lunges across to get a strong hand to Piscane's swerving effort from distance! Unbelievable!
69'
It would take nothing short of a miracle for Cagliari to get something from this game now. Down two goals and now down a man, these last 20 minutes should be little more than a formality.
67'
N. Barella gets a second yellow card and is sent off.
M. Pjanić enters the game and replaces C. Marchisio.
Juventus' second change sees Miralem Pjanic replace Marchisio.
CAGLIARI DOWN TO 10 MEN! Barella has been a physical presence tonight, but that's proven to be his undoing here as he clatters into Pjanic, who has been on for a matter of seconds, and picks up his second yellow card!
64'
GOOD EFFORT! Well you just know Isla would love to bag himself a goal against his former club. He finds a small pocket of space about 27 yards out from goal and unloads a terrific effort at goal, but it sails just a foot or two over the bar.
62'
A. Ioniţă enters the game and replaces D. Dessena.
Cagliari's first change is a straight swap as Artur Ionita replaces Dessena.
61'
STAT: Cagliari have collected only three points over his last 12 Serie A meetings with Juventus (D3 L9).
59'
Juventus are doing exactly what was expected of them after scoring their second, passing it around patiently and sucking the tempo out of the match as they look to run down the clock. Cagliari's fighting spirit is fading.
57'
J. Cuadrado gets yellow.
Cuadrado finds his way through on goal on the right, but he was miles offside. The whistle sounds and at least five seconds later the winger strikes for goal, missing the target by a fair distance at the near post. This rebellious, and altogether unnecessary, act of disregard will see him into the book.
55'
Well you can't question Lichtsteiner's toughness here. He's back out on the pitch, wasting no time in rejoining the fray. Whether he continues the rest of the way remains to be seen, but he's not showing any ill-effects of the knock for the time being.
53'
Lichtsteiner goes down behind the play after a nasty clash with Barella. Play continues before the ref brings it back a few moments later with the full-back still on the deck. The Swiss international is wincing in pain, and looks to be clutching his shoulder.
51'
STAT: Juventus have collected 11 (five in away meetings) clean sheets in this Serie A, more than any other team.
49'
It's still early, but you have to think that goal might have been enough to kill this match off. Juventus can suck the life out of the match now, while Cagliari will have to be wary of this getting out of hand should they throw caution to the wind.
47'
G. Higuaín has scored a goal for Juventus! Assist by P. Dybala.
A perfectly weighted throughball from Dybala who provides the assist.
THAT'S TWO! A dominating night for Higuain! He's had just two chances, but he's buried them both, this one a fine finish across the face of goal after being played through by Dybala!
46'
Here we go again!
45' +2
HALF-TIME: CAGLIARI 0-1 JUVENTUS.
45'
There will be two minutes added on at the end of this first half.
43'
C. Marchisio gets yellow.
Nasty challenge from Marchisio who stomps on the ankle of Dessena from behind. He immediately realized his wrongdoing, but the remorse is not enough to save him from a booking.
41'
STAT: Cagliari have failed to score in five of their last eight Serie A games.
39'
That's exactly what this game needed. Cagliari are a joy to behold when they attack freely, and that goal will force them to take the shackles off a bit. It won't happen just yet, of course, but the second half should prove to be much more open.
37'
G. Higuaín has scored a goal for Juventus! Assist by C. Marchisio.
JUST WHEN THEY NEEDED HIM! That's what a true goalscorer does! Out of absolutely nothing, with the match at a standstill, Higuain makes a smart run off the ball and is played through by Marchisio, before finishing with a ruthless strike from in close!
Marchisio provides the assist with a smart throughball.
35'
Cagliari have good width, but there's not enough of a link between midfield and attack. The problem with Juventus isn't their organisation, but their desire. They look like they're not willing or at all keen on matching Cagliari's physicality.
33'
The noise level in this stadium, which had been great for the first 20 minutes, has continuously fizzled. This has been a stalemate in every regard, as the two sides drift deeper and deeper into a lull. It will take something special to break this deadlock before the break.
31'
The frequency of stoppages have really plagued this match from getting going. Cuadrado is showing some initiative for Juventus and looks as though he may be in the mood, but no one else has been able to follow his lead just yet.
29'
STAT: Juan Cuadrado has scored three times against Cagliari: the Sardinians are one of his favourite targets in the competition, alongside with Chievo and Inter.
27'
N. Barella gets yellow.
Barrella goes into the book for a challenge on Cuadrado near the byline. It looked almost as though he did get the ball first, but perhaps that boils down to the excessive force with which he slid in.
24'
This has been some tedious viewing, from a neutral standpoint. Cagliari fans will be happy, though, with how their team is standing up to the champions. There's been very little to speak of other than a succession of fouls and stoppages, preventing the match from taking on any real tempo.
22'
Juventus look lethargic and uninterested in this first half. They've hardly shown much urgency to get forward, adopting a patient approach in possession, but a stagnant one at that. They need to wake up soon, because this Cagliari side is more than capable of scoring in bunches on home soil.
20'
STAT: Marco Borriello has faced Juventus 17 times in Serie A, scoring only twice and losing on 11 occasions.
18'
D. Rugani enters the game and replaces G. Chiellini.
Daniele Rugani comes in to replace Chiellini.
17'
Chiellini looks to have tweaked something here. He's moving rather laboriously as he signals over to the bench for a substitute to get ready. With the centre-half grimacing in pain and already on a yellow, it's probably sensible to take him off.
15'
CLOSE! Alves has a knack for taking these set-pieces, but he's unable to pick out the near top corner this time around as his curling effort was always drifting wide.
14'
G. Chiellini gets yellow.
CRUNCHING CHALLENGE! Chiellini sends Barrella flying through the air, head over heels, as he lunges into a late challenge on the very edge of the box! It's a yellow card for the Juventus defender and a free-kick in a threatening position for Cagliari.
12'
S. Lichtsteiner gets yellow.
The first yellow card, rather ironically, is shown to Lichtsteiner, as he goes late into a challenge on Borriello, moments after a foul on Sau. He's not at all happy with the decision, and it's hard to blame him given the challenge he was on the receiving end of a few minutes earlier.
11'
STAT: Juventus have won each of their last five away matches against Cagliari in the league.
9'
Sau and Dessena lunge into a pair of wild challenges within a few seconds of each other. Juventus players crowd the referee, demanding he take action, but both Cagliari players are able to escape with only a warning, likely saved by their own remorse.
7'
The visitors are keeping possession much better here, and their patient build leads to the first chance of the night. Mandzukic shows unbelievable determination to get onto the end of a stray cross at the far post, but he sends his off-balance header wide of the target.
5'
Juventus have weathered the early storm, but they've been unable to advance the ball into any dangerous areas. There's a real scrap going on in midfield, with every inch of space being fought for.
3'
Cagliari have started excellently, showing great spirit as they take the game to the champions. They're looking up for the occasion, keen to pull off a shock - but it will take 90 minutes of intense focus and discipline, not just a bright start.
1'
AND THEY'RE OFF! Cagliari get the match underway, attacking left to right.
Hello and welcome to live coverage from Stadio Sant’Elia in Sardinia as Cagliari aim to play spoiler under the lights when they host Juventus!
Juventus are comfortably perched atop the Serie A standings, even with Roma and Napoli winning earlier this weekend. The Bianconeri lead by four points at the summit, a gap they will aim to widen with a fifth successive league win tonight.
This is actually more important of a game than meets the eye for Massimiliano Allegri’s side, who are about to enter a congested branch of the schedule, with five games in 17 days, commencing on Friday against Palermo.
Cagliari will not be feeling much pressure in what is shaping up to be one of the most anti-climactic Serie A relegation scraps in years. The Rossoblu are just two spots up on the bottom three, but a seemingly insurmountable 13 points protects them from the drop.
It’s largely due to their home form that Cagliari will be likely be playing top-flight football next season. Massimo Rastelli’s side have scored 25 of their 32 goals this season at home, while 10 of their 12 losses have come on their travels.
Massimo Rastelli makes two changes from the defeat to Atalanta last weekend Marco Sau comes into attack to partner Marco Borriello up top, replacing Panagiotis Tachtsidis, while Nicola Murru starts ahead of Luca Ceppitelli in defence.
Massimiliano has made wholesale changes to his side, five to be exact, after rotating his players for the match against lowly Crotone last weekend. Stephan Lichtsteiner, Giorgio Chiellini and Alex Sandro come into defence, with Claudio Marchisio returning and Juan Cuadrado restored in attack. Dani Alves, Daniele Rugani, Kwadwo Asamoah, Tomas Rincon and Marko Pjaca give way.
Gonzalo Higuain's late goal is enough to send the Bianconeri into the break with the lead, following what has been a largely cautious and uneventful first 45 minutes in Cagliari. Chances have been few and far between, but with only one real moment of quality, but it proved to be decisive as Higuain's clinical nature up top is the difference at the end of the first half.
CAGLIARI (4-4-2): Rafael; Piscane, Capuano, Bruno Alves, Murru; Isla, Dessena, Di Gennaro, Barella; Borriello, Sau.
Goals on either side of half-time from Gonzalo Higuain lift the Bianconeri to victory in Sardinia, with the Rossoblu reduced to 10 men after Nicolo Barella's sending off. With the victory, Juventus see their lead at the top grow to seven points.
That's all for our live coverage, thanks for following along. Goodbye!
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