Serie A Preview: Cagliari-Milan Milan will travel to the Sardinian capital of Cagliari, on the Mediterranean Sea, for a crunch encounter with their hosts. When: Sunday December 3, 15:00 (CET)
Where: Stadio Sant’Elia, Cagliari, ItalyBACKGROUND Milan achieved a comfortable 2-0 away win last season in this fixture.
The lead was snatched by the visitors inside the first minute. Alberto Gilardino was not closed down by the defense, and he was able to put a soft finish into the net.
Milan secured the victory halfway through the first half thanks to Andriy Shevchenko. In the 27th minute, ‘Sheva’ blasted an unstoppable shot from distance which found the back of the net.
CURRENT FORM Cagliari (D W L, 14 points, 11th place in Serie A)
The Rossoblu are around mid-table, and this is good standing for them, but they have struggled to secure victories this season. They have an astonishing eight draws from the first thirteen fixtures.
Last season, they relied on David Suazo’s goals to win games, but he has just three thus far. They also need Mauro Esposito to be putting his name on the score sheet.
Milan (L D W, 11 points, 15th place in Serie A)
The Rossoneri have gradually improved their play recently, as they finally won a match last weekend at home against Messina, 1-0. The lone goal came from captain Paolo Maldini with a glancing-header in the 13th minute.
They must win here if they have any thoughts of possibly getting back into the title race.
TEAM NEWS Cagliari has just one absence in this match, and that is first-choice goalkeeper Antonio Chimenti, who has a shoulder injury.
Milan must do without goalkeeper Nelson Dida, Gennaro Gattuso, and Giuseppe Favalli, who are all out until the new year. Defenders Serginho and Alessandro Nesta are also missing, as they both may require surgery for their nagging injuries.
PLAYERS TO WATCH David Suazo (Cagliari) – His skills can at times be sublime, with his pace and dribbling ability the keys to his long runs at the defense. Strong on the ball and with a powerful shot, he will surely test a Milan backline which has at times been leaky this season.
Kakà (Milan) – He has been the best player for Milan all season, and they have often leaned on him for the attacking movements. He will need to once again be at his best to get a win against this Cagliari side.
POSSIBLE STARTING XI’s Cagliari (4-3-3): Fortin; Ferri, Lopez, Bianco, Agostini; Conti, Budel, Colucci; Esposito, Suazo, Langella
Milan (4-3-1-2): Kalac; Simic, Costacurta, Maldini, Jankulovski; Brocchi, Pirlo, Gourcuff; Kakà ; Gilardino,
Borriello PREDICTION While this will not be an easy task, Milan can feel good about their chances against Cagliari, who have allowed more goals than they have scored. Both sides will hit on the counterattack, but Milan will be the one which converts their chances.
Cagliari 0-1 Milan Goal.com