AC Milan face Cagliari on Sunday night at San Siro as Stefano Pioli hopes to take maximum points from our first two Serie A games of the season.
The Rossoneri were 1-0 winners last week against Sampdoria, while Sunday’s visitors were held to a 2-2 draw at home by Spezia.
READ MORE: How Milan could line up vs Cagliari: Bennacer boost, Pioli consistency
Time will tell if we’re able to make it two wins in two or if Cagliari can get their first win on the board, but it’s certainly hoped that we’re able to build on our performance last time out and continue to improve ahead of the international break.
Statistics
- Cagliari have lost more Serie A games against Milan than against any other side (W8 D27 L43). Their last win against the Rossoneri was back in May 2017 (2-1 at Sant’Elia stadium), losing six and drawing two of eight games since.
- Milan haven’t conceded a single goal in their last five Serie A games against Cagliari; the last team against which the Rossoneri recorded more clean sheets in a row in the competition was Chievo in 2016 (seven in a row).
- Milan have lost only three of their 39 home matches against Cagliari in Serie A (8%); among the teams they have faced at least 20 times at home in the competition only against Verona have they a better percentage (o defeats in 29 matches).
- Milan have haven’t conceded a goal in their last six league games, only keeping seven clean sheets in a row in Serie A three times before: in February 1994 (nine), October 1993 (seven) and January 1972 (seven).
- Milan could win their first two league games of the season in two Serie A campaigns in a row for the first time since 2002/03 and 2003/04, under Carlo Ancelotti.
- Cagliari are unbeaten in their last four away league games (W2 D2); since 2000, they have only had two longer unbeaten runs away from home: eight in December 2019 under Rolando Maran and five in November 2006 under Marco Giampaolo.
- Cagliari have drawn three of their last four league games (L1), as many as in the previous 22 Serie A matches (W6 L13).
- Stefano Pioli (59%) has the second-highest win in percentage in Serie A with AC Milan (41 wins in 70 matches), behind only Lajos Czeizler (64%: 73/114).
- Among the players who have scored at least five Serie A goals since the start of last season, Milan’s Brahim Díaz is the only one who has not yet scored in a home game.
- João Pedro has not scored in any of his last four Serie A games against Milan, having scored in each of his previous three; the Brazilian striker can become the fourth Cagliari player to score 3+ goals in the Rossoblu’s first two matches in the top-flight after Luigi Riva in 1968/69 (4), Roberto Boninsegna in 1968/69 (3) and Pasquale Foggia in 2007/08 (3).
Team news
As per Pioli’s press conference on Saturday, Ismael Bennacer is fit again and is ready to start and so he’ll replaced Rade Krunic in midfield to partner Sandro Tonali, but this game comes too soon for new loan signing Pietro Pellegri who won’t be in the squad.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Franck Kessie are also still sidelined by injury, but the influential pair are expected back for the first game following the international break.
As for Cagliari, Rog, Farago, Pinna, Ladinetti and Cragno could all miss out for them, but with the spine of the side in Godin, Strootman and Joao Pedro set to start along with the likes of Nandez and Pavoletti, they will certainly still pose a real threat.
Key battles
Giroud vs back three
Olivier Giroud is likely to come up against a three-man defence for Cagliari and so the Frenchman must avoid becoming too isolated and anonymous in the game.
With a lack of real creative quality in the final third still aside from what Brahim Diaz brings to the side, it’s important that Milan get good service into Giroud and not loft hopeful balls into the box hoping that he gets onto the end of them.
That’s not to say that he can’t, but it could get frustrating quickly if we can’t find a way past an organised and resilient Cagliari backline.
Midfield quintets
It will be a 4-2-3-1 for Milan against the 3-5-2 of Cagliari in an interesting tactical clash.
Milan will want to dictate the tempo of this game and dominate possession and so it’s imperative that Tonali and Bennacer win that midfield scrap against the likes of Marin, Strootman and Deiola, not only in terms of their defensive protection but to also help transition into attack quickly to break through the Cagliari lines.
Brahim Diaz dropped deep a lot against Sampdoria and he could do the same here in a congested midfield as he searches for space between the lines. That means Rafael Leao and Alexis Saelemaekers must provide width and stretch the game, setting up a fascinating battle right across the pitch.
Full-backs vs wing-backs
Nandez and Dalbert will hope to get forward as much as possible in this game and whip in crosses for both Joao Pedro and Pavoletti to get on the end of.
That in turn not only means both Simon Kjaer and Fikayo Tomori need to be switched at all times and be physical in the air, but Theo Hernandez and Davide Calabria must push Cagliari back down the flanks and pin their wing-backs into their own half as much as possible.
If we can successfully do that and nullify a big threat of theirs while winning a scrappy midfield battle, it should result in us having plenty of possession and control of the game to go out and find a way to win it.
