SM
Arsenal vs. Juventus: 6 hrs 29 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
Collect News Data
ML
Serie A | Gameweek 2
Aug 29, 2021 at 7.45pm UK
San Siro
CL

AC Milan
4 - 1
Cagliari

Tonali (12'), Leao (17'), Giroud (24', 43' pen.)
Diaz (73')
FT(HT: 4-1)
Deiola (15')
Henrique (5'), Deiola (38'), Strootman (41'), Godin (62'), Nandez (84')

Preview: AC Milan vs. Cagliari - prediction, team news, lineups

:Headline: Preview: AC Milan vs. Cagliari - prediction, team news, lineups:
Sports Mole previews Sunday's Serie A clash between AC Milan and Cagliari, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Sports Mole

Seeking successive wins to start the Serie A season, AC Milan host Cagliari at San Siro on Sunday evening.

While the Rossoneri edged out Sampdoria on the opening day, their visitors were held to a disappointing home draw.


Match preview

Milan got off to a winning start in Serie A, as Brahim Diaz scored the only goal at Marassi helping his side to a 1-0 victory at Sampdoria.

Having seen Inter destroy Genoa at the weekend, they travelled to Genoa on Monday night in search of a positive result in their first competitive game without goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who departed for Ligue 1 earlier this summer.

New signing Mike Maignan - who came in the opposite direction, joining from French champions Lille - was kept busy by the Samp attack, but stood tall to the challenge and claimed a richly-deserved clean sheet on his debut.

Both Maignan's fellow Frenchman Olivier Giroud and Euro 2020 champion Alessandro Florenzi were also involved last time out - the former from the start and the latter making a brief cameo from the bench - as Stefano Pioli attempts to rejuvenate a squad which has faltered over the past eight months, following a golden 2020.

This week, they come up against opponents who they particularly enjoy encountering: Milan have not conceded a single goal in their last five Serie A matches against Cagliari - winning four - and have lost only three of the clubs' 39 past meetings at San Siro.

After the upcoming international break, there is a long-awaited return to the Champions League to look forward to for the Rossoneri - plus attractive fixtures against fellow top-four contenders Lazio and Juventus in the league.

First, though, they must focus on continuing their dominance of the Sardinian side, as they look to set the tone for a Scudetto challenge next spring.

Cagliari also got their campaign underway on Monday night, as they welcomed Spezia to a sultry Sardegna Arena. Once again, the Isolani were indebted to captain Joao Pedro, who bagged a brace to salvage a point for the hosts in a 2-2 draw.

With his team trailing by two goals with half an hour to go, Cagliari's consistently excellent number 10 took charge of matters - netting a quickfire double between the 62nd and 67th minutes.

The versatile forward has now racked up a total of 43 league goals since 2018, perhaps surprisingly making him the Brazilian player to have scored the most times throughout Europe's top five leagues during that time.

Despite his considerable efforts, a lack of defensive resilience has ensured that Cagliari have finished 14th or below in each of the last four seasons. However, hopes of a top-half finish this term will surely rest on the outcome of games such as last week's, rather than those against the giants of Calcio.

As a measure of their inferiority in this fixture, they have lost more Serie A games against AC Milan than against any other side - 43 in all - and their last win against the Rossoneri came as long ago as May 2017 - losing six and drawing two since.

AC Milan Serie A form:
  • W

AC Milan form (all competitions):
  • W
  • D
  • L
  • D
  • W
  • W

Cagliari Serie A form:
  • D

Cagliari form (all competitions):
  • W
  • L
  • W
  • L
  • W
  • D

Team News

Ahead of Cagliari's visit on Sunday, Stefano Pioli has no new injury concerns, with only two major absentees remaining sidelined this week.

Influential midfielder Franck Kessie suffered a muscle strain in training and is out until after the international period - Sandro Tonali should deputise again - while Zlatan Ibrahimovic continues his recovery from a serious knee injury.

Having made his debut from the bench at Sampdoria, summer signing Alessandro Florenzi will hope to usurp current captain Davide Calabria at right-back, while there is competition between Rade Krunic and fit-again Ismael Bennacer to partner Tonali in central midfield.

Up front, Rafael Leao is once more set to edge out Ante Rebic for a place on the left of an attacking triumvirate led by Olivier Giroud.

The visitors, meanwhile, will travel north without first-choice goalkeeper Alessio Cragno, who has been ruled out with a muscular injury for at least two weeks. Therefore, Serbian stopper Boris Radunovic will deputise at San Siro.

Both Charalampos Lykogiannis and Razvan Marin have fully recovered from calf and ankle injuries respectively and will be available for Leonardo Semplici to select on Sunday, and in attack, Leonardo Pavoletti is expected to see off Giovanni Simeone's claims to partner skipper Joao Pedro.

AC Milan possible starting lineup:
Maignan; Calabria, Kjaer, Tomori, Hernandez; Bennacer, Tonali; Saelemaekers, Diaz, Leao; Giroud

Cagliari possible starting lineup:
Radunovic; Ceppitelli, Godin, Carboni; Nandez, Marin, Strootman, Deiola, Dalbert; Pedro, Pavoletti


We say: AC Milan 1-0 Cagliari

A second one-goal win of the new season is on the cards for Milan, as they are poised to continue their longstanding supremacy over their Sardinian counterparts on Sunday.

If Fikayo Tomori and Simon Kjaer can keep Joao Pedro quiet, then Cagliari can offer little else in attack and are likely to concede at least once over the course of 90 minutes.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting a home win in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Home Win:data




body check tags ::

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


amp_article__461195 : Collect and Make Data not in DataBase  : 
last updated article - 2024-06-05 12:59:41:
html db last update - 2024-06-05 12:59:41 :

ex - 7200 : read : write cache and make html
Read more!
Share this article now:


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!
Recommended Next on SM
Brahim Diaz goal earns AC Milan victory at Sampdoria in their Serie A opener
Man United 'planning stunning swap deal' for Inter's prolific striker Martinez
When will Alaba return to action? Potential return date revealed
Preview: AC Milan vs. Juventus - prediction, team news, lineups
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Napoli128221991026
2Atalanta BCAtalanta1281331151625
3Fiorentina1274125101525
4Inter Milan1274126141225
5Lazio1281325141125
6Juventus126602171424
7AC Milan115332014618
8Bologna114611513218
9Udinese125161518-316
10Empoli12363910-115
11Torino124261518-314
12Roma123451417-313
13Parma122641618-212
14Hellas VeronaHellas Verona124081727-1012
15Como122461323-1010
16CagliariCagliari122461222-1010
17Genoa12246922-1310
18Lecce12237521-169
19Monza121561015-58
20VeneziaVenezia122281121-108
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

history www

Preview: Arsenal vs. Nott'm Forest - prediction, team news, lineups

1

PA

Preview: Man City vs. Spurs - prediction, team news, lineups

2

PM

Sporting 'bracing themselves' for Man United bid for £83m star

NEW

3

S'

Preview: QPR vs. Stoke - prediction, team news, lineups

NEW

4

PQ

Saka decision, who replaces White? Predicted Arsenal XI against Forest

5

SD

Yoro debut? Shaw, Mainoo to return? Man United injury news vs. Ipswich

6

YD

Courtois, Rodrygo, Alaba updates: Real Madrid injury news vs. Leganes

7

CR

Debut vs. Ipswich? Amorim 'drops hint' over Yoro involvement at Portman Road

NEW

8

DV

Wood or Awoniyi up front? Predicted Forest XI against Arsenal

9

WO

Preview: Bournemouth vs. Brighton - prediction, team news, lineups

10

PB


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .