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Serie A: Milan v Cagliari - match preview, predicted starting line-ups & Opta facts

Serie A: Milan v Cagliari - match preview, predicted starting line-ups & Opta facts

AC Milan will look to revive hopes of closing in on Serie A leaders Juventus, when they take on Massimo Rastelli’s inconsistent Cagliari side on Sunday evening at San Siro.
 
The rossoneri have a game in hand, as their SuperCoppa Italiana success before the break allowed the likes of Roma, Napoli and Lazio to move above them in the table. As things stand, Vincenzo Montella’s men are just one point adrift of fourth-placed Lazio and nine points away from Max Allegri’s bianconeri.

 
While some of their recent games have gone to prove that Milan can win ugly, their triumph over Juventus in the penalty shoot-out in Doha only re-established that belief. The past four games haven’t been their best however, as Montella’s men have managed to win only two of their last four league outings. Their last win came one month ago against struggling Crotone, as a late Giacomo Bonaventura strike handed the rossoneri all three points. 
 
Cagliari have won seven games in Serie A this season, but their performances against the big guns have been disappointing. They have the worst defensive record in the league, conceding as many as 42 goals in just 18 outings. They’ve managed to win only one game out of the last five; a 4-3 win over Sassuolo. And they’ve let in a total of 14 goals, five of which came during their hammering at the hands of Maurizio Sarri’s Napoli.

 
The last meeting between the two sides had yielded a 3-1 win in Milan’s favour back in the 2014-15 season under then boss Filippo Inzaghi. The reverse fixture that season saw resulted in a 1-1 draw in Sardinia. 
 
Milan will have most of their first-team regulars fit for the Sunday game, barring veteran midfielder Riccardo Montolivo, who sustained a long term knee injury during an international game for Italy against Spain last year. Davide Calabria is expected to miss the game, while Matias Fernandez is also a doubt.
 
Rossoblu striker Marco Borriello has returned to training and the former Milan man could feature. Artur Ionita and Federico Melchiorri are unavailable and are not expected to be close to fitness until mid-January. Former Juventus man Simone Padoin will be suspended for the game after he picked up his fifth yellow card of the season during the win over Sassuolo.

 
Predicted Line-ups
 
AC Milan: Donnarumma; Abate, Romagnoli, Palleta, De Sciglio; Locatelli, Kucka, Pasalic; Suso, Bacca, Bonaventura
 
Cagliari: Storari; Isla, Ceppitelli, Alves, Murru; Dessena, Tachtsidis, Barella; Sau, Borriello, Gennaro
 
 


Kaustubh Pandey