AC Milan face Cagliari at San Siro on Sunday night, and they know that a win will secure our place in the Champions League next season.
The situation could already be resolved before kick-off if Juventus lose to Inter on Saturday, but the focus from a Milan perspective for now is on the job at hand and what we can control.
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After three consecutive clean sheets and 12 goals scored in our last three outings, Stefano Pioli’s side have found form just at the right time to get back on track and ensure our fate is back in our own hands, but the job isn’t done yet as there is one more win needed.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic remains sidelined by the knee injury that he sustained in the win over Juve, and so after bagging a hat-trick last time out, Ante Rebic is expected to lead the line for Milan again.
In the only expected change to the starting XI, Alexis Saelemaekers is likely to return from suspension to replace Samu Castillejo on the right wing.
That aside, it would come as no real surprise if Pioli stuck with the same line-up that did brilliantly in midweek in our 7-0 win over Torino, and so it’s hoped that the players involved can pick up from where they left off in Turin to secure three critical points this weekend.
In terms of options on the bench, Sandro Tonali is expected to miss out as he is struggling with a knee injury of his own, but with no other suspensions to be concerned with, Pioli will have an almost full-strength squad at his disposal.
History is on our side in this fixture, with Cagliari losing 15 in a row at San Siro, with just one win in 34 encounters both home and away. In turn, if we can continue what has been a successful run against the Sardinians, it will be enough to book our place in the top four in Serie A this season.
It’s been a gruelling campaign for Milan with both ups and downs along the way, but we’ve now got one final hurdle to overcome in our pursuit of the ultimate objective for this season.
