AC Milan vs Cagliari

A place in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals is up for grabs as AC Milan and Cagliari go head-to-head at the Stadio San Siro.

Despite closing out 2023 on a four-game unbeaten streak in Serie A (W3, D1), bookended by a narrow 1-0 home triumph against Sassuolo, Milan’s Scudetto bid remains in tatters. Stranded nine points adrift of table-topping Inter Milan and already out of the Champions League, ‘I Rossoneri’ may perceive this as their last chance to avoid another trophyless season. It’s been over two decades since Milan last tasted Coppa Italia glory despite reaching the grand final twice in the aftermath of the 2002/03 victory. Qualifying for the quarter-finals is the bare minimum Milan fans would expect from their side, as it’s been 16 years since they last failed to make it out of the round of 16. A remarkable run of nine wins in their 11 most recent games against Cagliari (D2) reinforces Stefano Pioli’s hope to get 2024 off to a winning start.

Meanwhile, Cagliari’s ‘underdog’ status in this fixture hardly comes as a surprise after they waved goodbye to 2023 winless in three Serie A matches (D1, L2). Deeply embedded in a dreaded relegation scrap, the last thing the Sardinians need is a distraction. But it doesn’t mean they’ll go down without a fight, especially after Gianluca Lapadula’s 120th-minute winner fired them past Udinese in the previous Coppa Italia round. Claudio Ranieri won’t throw away their hard work to secure this last-16 tie, but ending an underwhelming four-match losing streak on hostile turf looks like a heavy ask. On top of their travel sickness, San Siro hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for the ‘Islanders’ by any stretch of the imagination, as they’ve lost 16 of their 17 matches here in the 21st century (D1).