Italy - Serie A
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Played
September 26, 2012 7:45 PM BST
Stadio Giuseppe Meazza — Milano
Referee:‬ A. De Marco‎
Attendance:‬ 49000‎
 

AC Milan - Cagliari Preview: Rossoneri desperate for points after horror start to season

Massimiliano Allegri is facing increasing pressure, and will be desperate for his side to produce a performance against the Rossoblu in midweek Serie A action

More On :  AC Milan, Cagliari, AC Milan vs Cagliari
Antonio Nocerino - Udinese-Milan - Serie A
AFP
  PROBABLE LINE-UPS
AC MILAN
Abbiati
Abate, Bonera, Mexes, Mesbah
Nocerino, De Jong, Montolivo
Emanuelson
Pazzini, El Shaarawy
CAGLIARI
Roma
Agazzi
Perico Rossettini, Astori, Pisano
Ekdal, Conti, Nainggolan
Thiago Ribeiro, Pinilla, Ibarbo

The situation is becoming critical for AC Milan and beleaguered coach Massimiliano Allegri, whose side have lost three of their first four Serie A matches this season.

Allegri will also have to battle suspensions to Cristian Zapata and Kevin Prince-Boateng, both of whom were sent off in the weekend defeat to Udinese. Mathieu Flamini is also likely to miss out, this time due to injury, while long-term concerns Alexandre Pato and Didac Vila are far from fitness.

Visitors Cagliari have virtually a full squad to select from, with the Rossoblu also in a poor run of form at the moment, and may see the opportunity to take on a wounded Rossoneri as a chance to kick-start their campaign with a victory.
  DID YOU KNOW?

  • AC Milan have yet to win at home this season, or indeed score a goal; they have suffered 1-0 defeats to Sampdoria and Atalanta.

  • The Rossoneri are entering into a tricky run of fixtures, with away matches versus Parma and Lazio either side of the city derby against rivals Inter.
  • New signing Giampaolo Pazzini scored a hat-trick in Milan's only win of the campaign so far,

  • Cagliari have fared little better than their rivals on Wednesday, having collected just two points from four league matches.

  • The Rossoblu have won just two of their last 28 meetings with Massimiliano Allegri's side.

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Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
  • AC Milan 2-0 Cagliari
    18.9 %
  • AC Milan 3-0 Cagliari
    10.73 %
  • AC Milan 0-1 Cagliari
    10.68 %
Head to Head
Italy - Serie A ‎(ITA1)‎ Feb 10, 2013 Cagliari 1 - AC Milan 1
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Italy - Serie A ‎(ITA1)‎ Sep 26, 2012 AC Milan 2 - Cagliari 0
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Italy - Serie A ‎(ITA1)‎ Jan 29, 2012 AC Milan 3 - Cagliari 0
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Italy - Serie A ‎(ITA1)‎ Dec 20, 2011 Cagliari 0 - AC Milan 2
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Italy - Serie A ‎(ITA1)‎ May 14, 2011 AC Milan 4 - Cagliari 1
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Last Five Matches
AC Milan
May 12, 2013AC Milan 0 - Roma 0ITA1
May 8, 2013Pescara 0 - AC Milan 4ITA1
May 5, 2013AC Milan 1 - Torino 0ITA1
Apr 28, 2013AC Milan 4 - Catania 2ITA1
Apr 21, 2013Juventus 1 - AC Milan 0ITA1
Cagliari
May 11, 2013Juventus 1 - Cagliari 1ITA1
May 8, 2013Cagliari 0 - Parma 1ITA1
May 4, 2013Chievo 0 - Cagliari 0ITA1
Apr 27, 2013Cagliari 0 - Udinese 1ITA1
Apr 21, 2013SSC Napoli 3 - Cagliari 2ITA1
Odds
Returns: Milan £15.71 PaddyPower Sign up to Paddy Power for £250 in free bets
Returns: Draw £170.00 WilliamHill Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25
Returns: Cagliari £1510.00 Bet365 Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200
Team News
Available Squads
32Christian AbbiatiGoalkeeper
2Mattia De SciglioDefender
5Philippe MexesDefender
20Ignazio AbateDefender
25Daniele BoneraDefender
12Bakaye TraoréMidfielder
18Riccardo MontolivoMidfielder
8Urby EmanuelsonMidfielder
34Nigel De JongMidfielder
11Giampaolo PazziniStriker
92Stephan El ShaarawyMidfielder
1Marco AmeliaGoalkeeper
59GabrielGoalkeeper
15Francesco AcerbiDefender
-Djamel MesbahMidfielder
76Mario Alberto YepesDefender
77Luca AntoniniDefender
8Antonio NocerinoMidfielder
21Kevin Constant Midfielder
23Massimo AmbrosiniMidfielder
22Bojan KrkicStriker
9L. NiangGoalkeeper
7RobinhoStriker
1Michael AgazziGoalkeeper
13Davide AstoriDefender
14Francesco PisanoDefender
15Luca RossettiniDefender
24Gabriele PericoDefender
4Radja NainggolanMidfielder
5Daniele ContiMidfielder
21Daniele DessenaMidfielder
19Thiago RibeiroStriker
23Víctor IbarboStriker
51Mauricio PinillaStriker
25Vlada AvramovGoalkeeper
26Riccardo AneddaGoalkeeper
3Lorenzo AriaudoDefender
8Danilo AvelarDefender
16Sebastian ErikssonMidfielder
20Albin EkdalMidfielder
32Federico CasariniMidfielder
18NenêStriker
27Marco SauStriker
Players to Watch
Stephan El Shaarawy
Stephan El Shaarawy
Position: Midfielder
Squad Number: 92
Games Goals YC RC
36 16 3 0
One of the few bright spots in the defeat at Udinese's, the young attacker's stunning goal further hinted at what he could be capable of if given a run in the side. Unfortunately, he will need to produce week in, week out for a Milan side desperate for inspiration.
Thiago Ribeiro
Thiago Ribeiro
Position: Striker
Squad Number: 19
Games Goals YC RC
28 2 3 0
Cagliari will need some inspiration from their Brazilian if they are to upset the Rossoneri, and although he hasn't enjoyed the most impressive of starts to the season, a positive performance could prove pivotal for both him and his team.
Prediction
Morale couldn't be lower at San Siro at the moment, and another defeat could well lead to Allegri's demise. Expect his team to rally, but whether they have the quality to end their poor home run remains to be seen.
Editor's Prediction
Milan 1
Cagliari 1
Results
ALL MATCHES >>
 
Top Scorers
Player   Goals Penalties
Edinson Cavani Edinson Cavani
Striker
Napoli 		28 7
Antonio Di Natale Antonio Di Natale
Striker
Udinese 		22 4
Pablo Daniel Osvaldo Pablo Daniel Osvaldo
Striker
Roma 		16 2
Stephan El Shaarawy Stephan El Shaarawy
Midfielder
Milan 		16 0
Germán Denis Germán Denis
Striker
Atalanta 		15 5