AC Milan travel to Sardinia to face Cagliari on Saturday evening as they look to build on their impressive midweek Champions League victory and climb up the Serie A table. The Rossoneri pulled off a stunning 3-1 win away at Real Madrid on Wednesday, breathing new life into their European campaign. Goals from Malick Thiaw, Alvaro Morata, and Tijjani Reijnders secured a famous victory at the Bernabeu, with Rafael Leao influential throughout. The result eased some of the pressure on manager Paulo Fonseca after an inconsistent start to the season.
Milan now turn their attention back to domestic matters, where they currently sit 7th in Serie A, eight points behind leaders Napoli. Last weekend’s 1-0 win over Monza was a welcome return to form after some patchy league results. The Rossoneri will be aiming to string together consecutive victories for the first time since early October.
Cagliari, meanwhile, are struggling near the foot of the table in 16th place. The Sardinians have lost their last three matches and are without a win since early October. Their most recent defeat came on Monday night, going down 2-1 away at Lazio despite equalizing through Zito Luvumbo. To compound matters, Yerry Mina and Michel Adopo were both sent off late on and will be suspended for Milan’s visit.
The battle between Milan’s in-form attackers and Cagliari’s leaky defense could be key. The Rossoneri have scored 65% of their goals in the first half this season, while Cagliari have conceded at least twice in seven of their last eight league games. In midfield, Milan’s Tijjani Reijnders will look to dominate against Cagliari’s Antoine Makoumbou. Out wide, Rafael Leao’s trickery and pace could cause problems for Gabriele Zappa.
Paulo Fonseca (AC Milan) stated that they must carry their Champions League momentum into the league, acknowledging that Cagliari will be tough opponents but emphasizing the need to keep climbing the table. On the other hand, Davide Nicola (Cagliari) expressed that Milan are in great form but that his team would give everything to secure a result at home, stressing the importance of being more solid defensively and taking their chances.
Milan have won 8 of the last 9 meetings between the sides, with Cagliari’s last home win against Milan dating back to May 2017. Milan have scored in their last 13 league visits to Cagliari, while Christian Pulisic scored his only Serie A brace against Cagliari last season.
Team News
Milan remain without long-term absentees Ismael Bennacer and Alessandro Florenzi, but Matteo Gabbia could return from a calf issue. Fonseca may opt to retain the XI that impressed against Real Madrid, with Leao and Yunus Musah keeping their places. Christian Pulisic and Alvaro Morata are likely to continue their partnership up front.
For Cagliari, the suspended Mina and Adopo will be replaced by Jose Luis Palomino and Razvan Marin in defense and midfield respectively. Zito Luvumbo will hope to keep his place after scoring against Lazio, while Roberto Piccoli leads the line.
Expected Starting XIs
Milan: Scuffet; Zappa, Palomino, Luperto, Augello; Marin, Makoumbou; Zortea, Gaetano, Luvumbo; Piccoli
Cagliari: Maignan; Emerson, Tomori, Pavlovic, Hernandez; Reijnders, Fofana; Chukwueze, Pulisic, Leao; Morata
Match Prediction
While Cagliari will be desperate for points, Milan should have too much quality. The Rossoneri’s confidence will be sky-high after beating Real Madrid, and they have an excellent recent record in this fixture. Expect Milan to control possession and create plenty of chances against Cagliari’s porous defense.
Prediction: Cagliari 0-2 AC Milan
