AC Milan vs Cagliari

Stadio San Siro forms the backdrop for a high-stakes Serie A encounter between European hopefuls AC Milan and relegation-battling Cagliari.

It took newly-appointed AC Milan manager Sergio Conceicao only two games in charge to inspire ‘I Rossoneri’ to their first piece of silverware since 2021/22. Indeed, come-from-behind victories against bitter rivals Juventus (2-1) and Inter Milan (3-2) saw the 19-time Italian champions win their eighth Supercoppa Italiana trophy last week. However, Conceicao cannot afford to rest on his laurels, with Milan stranded nine points adrift of fourth-placed Lazio ahead of the kick-off. His predecessor, Paulo Fonseca, left wreckage in his wake, with the home side failing to win five of their last seven Serie A games (D1, L4), including a 1-1 home draw against Roma in their final match of 2024. That result cost Fonseca his job but extended Milan’s unbeaten home streak in all competitions to six outings, nonetheless (W3, D3).

Milan’s resurgence under Conceicao spells trouble for visiting Cagliari, who came from behind to beat rock-bottom Monza 2-1 in their first Serie A game this year, steering clear of 18th-placed Lecce on goal difference alone. Finding an early breakthrough could optimize Cagliari’s chances of pulling off only their second victory against Milan in the 21st century (W1, D9, L29), as they’ve avoided defeat in all six league games when opening the scoring this season (W3, D3). One of those occasions was in November’s reverse fixture when the Islanders squandered an early lead in a goal-glutted 3-3 draw in Sardinia. However, Cagliari’s recent visits to San Siro have yielded nothing but doom and gloom, with Davide Nicola’s side losing their last three away H2Hs by 4+ goals ‘to one.’