AC Milan will take on a struggling Cagliari Calcio in the midweek Serie A clash at the Sardegna Arena.
AC Milan will travel to the Sardegna Arena to take on a struggling Cagliari Calcio side in the midweek Serie A fixture on Wednesday night.
The Rossoblu are in deep trouble, having picked up just two points from their opening five Serie A games this season. They have also scored just once, a tally that is only better than bottom-placed Empoli in the Italian top flight this season.
Any chance of making a turnaround this week is all the more hard given their history against AC Milan. Cagliari have won just once in the last 38 league clashes between both these sides, handing Milan the lion’s share of glory in the matchup.
Stefano Pioli’s men are currently second in the league but were handed a footballing lesson earlier this month by arch-rivals Inter Milan. Despite returning to winning ways last time around against Hellas Verona, the Rossoneri still have ways to go before being considered genuine title challengers.
The clash between the second-placed side and the team second from bottom should have implications at both ends of the table. Cagliari will be keen to get their season on track while Milan will not want to fall further behind Inter as the season takes shape.
It promises to be an intriguing contest with the visitors starting off as heavy favourites. The Hard Tackle looks at how both sides could line up on Sunday and what tactics they might employ.
Team News & Tactics
Cagliari
🔜 #CagliariMilan 🔴🔵 pic.twitter.com/ulwX9xF7ZU
— Cagliari Calcio (@CagliariCalcio) September 26, 2023
Claudio Ranieri will need to not just get his defence in order but also breathe life into an attack that has uninspiring at best this season. In fact, Cagliari have managed just six shots on target across the first five games, a number that reflects why they are where they are in the table.
The veteran boss will have to do without the injured trio of Marko Rog, Gianluca Lapadula and Gaston Pereiro all of whom are unavailable. It is not all hunky dory otherwise either with Elio Capradossi, Alessandro Di Pardo, Jakub Jankto, Jacopo Desogus, and Leonardo Pavoletti all in doubt to feature.
Mateusz Wieteska is, however, available after serving his one-match suspension and is in contention to start on the night. Ranieri is likely to retain the 3-5-2 formation despite his side’s acute need for points.
Boris Radunovic should start in goal behind the back three of Mateusz Wieteska, Alberto Dossena, and Pantelis Chatzidiakos. Davide Zappacosta and Tommaso Augello should serve as wing-backs. The duo are expected to drop back and form a flat back five while defending, something they are likely to do a lot on the night.
Alessandro Deiola, Antoine Makoumbou and Matteo Prati should hold the fort in the middle of the park, with Eldor Shomurodov and Zito Luvumbo leading the line.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Radunovic; Chatzidiakos, Dossena, Wieteska; Zappacosta, Makoumbou, Prati, Deiola, Augello; Shomurodov, Luvumbo
AC Milan
The humble against Inter Milan was a wake-up call for Pioli’s men who had to rely on Rafael Leao to take them past Hellas Verona last time around. Injuries have not made life easier for the Italian giants, limiting their options on the field.
Milan will be without Ismael Bennacer, Mike Maignan, Mattia Caldara and Pierre Kalulu, all of whom are out injured. Davide Calabria and Rade Krunic are also struggling to make the cut as games come thick and fast.
Pioli is unlikely to tamper with his 4-3-3 formula and should, despite the injuries, go into the game as favourites. Marco Sportiello should deputies in goal behind the back four of Alessandro Florenzi, Malick Thiaw, Fikayo Tomori and Theo Hernandez
🔑 Briefing 🔑
Mediana, fasce e novità in attacco: proviamo a giocare #CagliariMilan in anticipo 🔜#SempreMilan
— AC Milan (@acmilan) September 26, 2023
Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Tijjani Reijnders and Tommaso Pobega should hold the fort in the middle of the park, aiming to craft opportunities to progress the ball further upfield.
With games coming thick and fast, Rafael Leao and Olivier Giroud could start on the bench, earning themselves a breather. Milan will hope they won’t need the pair to defeat a side they have historically held the edge over in recent years.
This should see Samuel Chukwueze and Noah Okafor drafted into the playing XI for the night. Christian Pulisic has been impressive since leaving Chelsea and should complete the front three for the game.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Sportiello; Florenzi, Thiaw, Tomori, Hernandez; Loftus-Cheek, Reijnders, Pobega; Chukwueze, Okafor, Pulisic
Key Stats
- Cagliari have lost 45 out of their 80 clashes against AC Milan in Serie A, their most against another side in the top flight.
- Cagliari have won just once against AC Milan in their previous 38 top-flight games. This run includes 28 losses and eight draws.
- A win on Wednesday will see AC Milan four consecutive away games against Cagliari for the first time in Serie A.
- A shutout on the day will see AC Milan keep four consecutive clean sheets away to Cagliari for the first time in Serie A.
- Cagliari have scored just once in their opening five games in Serie A this season. It is their worst such run over the first five games of a league campaign since 2008/09.
- Failing to score on the night will see Cagliari go scoreless in their first three home games in Serie A for the first time.
Player to Watch
Samuel Chukwueze
The former Villarreal man is a huge bag of tricks but lacks substance and cutting edge when it comes to making the difference upfront. He has only impressed in patches so far and could be handed an excellent opportunity on Wednesday to wreak havoc.
A tricky winger with pace to burn, Chukwueze can make life difficult for the Cagliari backline. With Florenzi also in support, the duo could cause Aguello and Co much trouble on the night. It can also potentially open up space for Pulisic to exploit on the other flank. Speed is one thing the visitors won’t be lacking on the wings on the night.
Prediction
Cagliari Calcio 0- 2 AC Milan
Milan are not at their best but then neither are Cagliari. The home side does not just have a poor record against their illustrious opponents but have also lacked bite this season. If recent form is anything to go by, it should be a straightforward victory for Milan even with all the injuries and resting players for the night.
