Unipol Domus is the venue as relegation-battling Cagliari and title-bidding Milan go head-to-head in a high-stakes Serie A encounter. Saturday’s conflict in Sardinia arrives at an opportune second for the guests.
As for Cagliari, Davide Nicola’s future on the Unipol Domus hangs by a thread. The Islanders slumped to a 2-1 away defeat to Lazio on Monday. They misplaced Michel Adopo and Yerry Mina to sending-offs within the course of. Subsequently, the state of affairs is much from best within the residence camp.
Certainly, they begin this matchday solely a degree away from the underside three. Three consecutive defeats within the build-up to this match-up don’t bode properly for Nicola. The 51-year-old faces an opponent he has notoriously struggled in opposition to throughout his managerial profession.
Aside from a solitary win whereas in control of Genoa in March 2020, Nicola has gone winless in his eight remaining encounters in opposition to Milan (D3, L5). Now’s not an excellent time to tackle the Rossoneri.
Brimming with confidence after on Tuesday, Milan head to Sardinia in search of their second consecutive Serie A win. Tijjani Reijnders scored a match-winner in a hard-earned 1-0 triumph at Monza final weekend.
The in-form Dutch midfielder was additionally on the scoresheet on the Santiago Bernabeu. Alvaro Morata and Malick Thiaw netted the opposite two in Milan’s scintillating victory, which elevated their hopes of securing computerized last-16 qualification.
Match Preview
Cagliari
Along with Nicola’s underwhelming report in opposition to Milan, Cagliari’s struggles on this fixture are long-standing. They’ve solely defeated the Rossoneri as soon as since 1999, dropping 31 of their 40 conferences in that stretch (D8).
As if that’s not regarding sufficient, the Islanders have misplaced two clashes in opposition to Milan in 2024 by 4+ targets ‘to 1.’ Whether or not they can hassle the scoreboard this time stays questionable. Cagliari have failed to seek out the again of the web in 4 of their six residence league outings this time period.
With that in thoughts, it’s hardly shocking they’ve solely gained as soon as (W1, D2, L3). Ominously, all three defeats noticed them go right down to multi-goal margins with out scoring, suggesting this may very well be a protracted night for the house devoted.
A scarcity of firepower is the least of Cagliari’s issues. They’ve been leaking targets at an alarming price, maintaining simply two clear sheets throughout their final 23 residence matches in Serie A.
Milan
Confidence is at an all-time excessive in Paulo Fonseca’s nook. Regardless of all of the negativity throughout his early days at San Siro, Tuesday’s win in Madrid may very well be a turning level for his Milan aspect. After dropping three of their first 4 video games outdoors their iconic residence venue (D1), they’ve gained the final two on the trot.
Caught simply outdoors the European qualification spots in Serie A, they desperately have to make it three on the trot. It could be the last word confidence booster forward of November’s worldwide break. And there’s no higher place than the Unipol Domus to assist Milan obtain this feat, contemplating this has been a cheerful searching floor for them traditionally.
They’ve crushed Cagliari of their final 4 conferences at this stadium. Three of these triumphs yielded a clear sheet, which is critical given Milan’s early defensive points beneath Fonseca. Barring the abovementioned win at Monza, they’ve didn’t shut out their opposition in six remaining away video games this season.
Staff Information
With Adopo and Mina suspended, Cagliari might flip to Razvan Marin and Jose Luis Palomino to fill the vacancies. Fortunately for Nicola, he has no damage considerations on his plate. Zito Luvumbo, whose first Serie A purpose got here in opposition to Milan, will seemingly be the hosts’ attacking cornerstone.
As for the guests, long-term absentees Alessandro Florenzi, Matteo Gabbia, and Ismael Bennacer are nonetheless recovering from their damage setbacks. Samuel Chukwueze might return to the beginning XI on the expense of Yunus Musah, who impressed in Madrid.
Cagliari vs Milan Potential Beginning Line-ups
Cagliari (4-2-3-1): Simone Scuffet; Gabriele Zappa, Jose Luis Palomino, Sebastiano Luperto, Tommaso Augello; Razvan Marin, Antoine Makoumbou; Nadir Zortea, Gianluca Gaetano, Zito Luvumbo; Roberto Piccoli.
Milan (4-2-3-1): Mike Maignan; Emerson Royal, Fikayo Tomori, Strahinja Pavlovic, Theo Hernandez; Tijjani Reijnders, Youssouf Fofana; Samuel Chukwueze, Christian Pulisic, Rafael Leao; Alvaro Morata.
Cagliari vs Milan Prediction
Milan might not be the most effective model of themselves this season. However they’re nonetheless in much better form than Cagliari and will routinely take three factors residence.
