CAGLIARI v AC MILAN: MATCH PREVIEW

After making it past Hellas Verona last time out, the Rossoneri are back in action in Serie A, away from home this time. In the first midweek matchday of the season, Stefano Pioli's side travel to Sardinia to take on Ranieri's Cagliari, a not to be underestimated. As we approach kick-off at 18:30 CEST, let's go over the clash with our Match Preview.

LATEST FROM MILANELLO
The Rossoneri got back to winning ways at San Siro, taking three massive points. They now face a tricky challenge at the Unipol Domus. Amidst a busy fixture list and likely heavy squad rotation, Pioli's men are looking for a win to guarantee an important boost in terms of morale and the standings. Calabria is back, while Maignan and Jović are out. The Rossoneri will also need to make do without Rade Krunić, who picked up a knock against Hellas Verona. One of Reijnders or Adli will slot into the regista role, with Loftus-Cheek and Pobega on either side of midfield. Olivier Giroud looks set to be rested, with Okafor to replace him. Leão is also unlikely to start; Chukwueze and Pulisic are the favourites to operate out wide in AC Milan's 4-3-3.

CAGLIARI v AC MILAN: THE BRIEFING

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LATEST FROM CAGLIARI
The Rossoblù are still looking for their first win in the league this season. The 2-0 defeat to Atalanta in the last round of matches put the Sardinians' offensive struggles on display, as they have scored just one goal this season. Though they do have two points thanks to two draws. Team news for the game depends very much on formations. Claudio Ranieri is evaluating whether to stick with a back three from their last two outings or go back to the back 4, with which they started the season. Luvumbo is guaranteed to start in attack, alongside one of Petagna, Pavoletti and Shomurodov; together they will be looking for an upturn in their fortunes in front of goal. It's not certain who will start in midfield either; Augello, Sulemana and Prati are all contenders. There are no new absences to add to an injury list that includes Lapadula, Rog and Pereiro.

CAGLIARI v AC MILAN: OPPONENT REVIEW

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PRE-MATCH NUMBERS

• Cagliari have lost more games against AC Milan than any other side in Serie A: 45 out of 80 (eight wins for the Rossoblù and 27 draws).
• 1-0 to AC Milan is the most common scoreline between the Rossoblù and Rossoneri in Serie A.
• The Rossoneri are unbeaten against Cagliari on Wednesday in Serie A (W2, D1), though the Sardianians did manage to avoid defeat in the last meeting between the two on this day of the week (1-1 on 29/10/2014).
• No side has scored more goals than AC Milan (three) in the first 15 minutes of matches in Serie A this season (three for Fiorentina, Frosinone and Sassuolo as well). Cagliari have not yet managed to score in the first quarter of an hour so far this season, and only have two in the first 30 minutes.
• Olivier Giroud's first two goals for AC Milan came against Cagliari: a brace at San Siro on 29 August 2021. Alessandro Florenzi, meanwhile, has scored one and provided three assists against Cagliari in Serie A; he hasn't provided more assists against any other side in the division (three against Genoa and Napoli as well).

WHERE TO WATCH CAGLIARI v AC MILAN
In Italy, the match will be broadcast by DAZN and Sky. To watch Cagliari v AC Milan in a different country, you can consult the “AC Milan on TV” webpage, clicking on the heading "Abroad". On the Rossoneri channels, Milan TV will provide live matchday coverage starting from 17:30 CEST and continuing up until shortly before kick-off. After full-time, there will be interviews and Coach Pioli’s press conference. From 18:25 CEST, there will also be our Live Reaction show on our Twitch channel. Also not to be missed is the coverage on acmilan.com, the AC Milan Official App and our official social media profiles.

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LATEST FROM SERIE A
Federico La Penna will take charge of Cagliari v AC Milan. It will be the Roman referee's 58th game in the Italian top flight. He has refereed the Rossoneri on five occasions: a draw in the most recent (1-1 against Salernitana at San Siro, two wins, one defeat and another draw. Imperiale and Rossi will act as linesmen and Colombo as IV Official. Irrati is on VAR duty, assisted by Paganessi.

Serie A matchday 6 began on Tuesday 26 September with Juventus 1-0 Lecce. Wednesday 27 is a busy day; as well as Cagliari v AC Milan, Empoli v Salernitana and Hellas Verona v Atalanta start at 18:30 CEST. The 20:45 CEST kick-offs are Inter v Sassuolo, Lazio v Torino and Napoli v Udinese. There will be three games on Thursday: Frosinone v Fiorentina and Monza v Bologna at 18:30 CEST, and Genoa v Roma at 20:45 CEST.

Here is the table as it stands: Inter 15; Juventus* 13; AC Milan 12; Lecce* 11; Fiorentina 10; Atalanta 9; Napoli, Frosinone, Torino 8; Hellas Verona 7; Bologna, Sassuolo 6; Roma, Monza 5; Lazio, Genoa 4; Salernitana, Udinese 3; Cagliari 2; Empoli 0. (* = game in hand)

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