CAGLIARI v AC MILAN: OPPONENT REVIEW

With the win over Verona stored away in the archives and second place in the table confirmed Stefano Pioli's AC Milan are ready for their only midweek Serie A fixture of the season and to cement their spot at the top end of the table. The Diavolo face a struggling Cagliari, currently second from the bottom and hungry for points given that they’ve only managed two from their first five matches. The Rossoblù will try to make the most of the Unipol Domus behind them, to try to find their first goal at home this season.  

Overall, their ability in front of goal has been the most obvious hindrance to Claudio Ranieri’s men so far in the season: after five matches, their only goal came from Zito Luvumbo against Bologna. Cagliari have only scored this few goals after five Serie A matches once in their history, in the 2008/09 season (with Massimiliano Allegri at the helm); in that case, the Rossoblù drew 0-0 with AC Milan on Matchday 6. 

STRUGGLING ATTACK AND BALL POSSESSION
Claudio Ranieri will certainly have to try to make the most of the technical potential at his disposal to try and hurt AC Milan. Cagliari's offensive woes are also explained by the number of shots on goal: just six, at least five fewer than any other team in the league. Their average ball possession is 37.9%, the second lowest in the tournament after Genoa's 34.8%. 

When on the ball, the Rossoblù have the third worst pass accuracy: 76.1%, ahead of only Genoa (74.2%) and Verona (75.6%). They have had 18 sequences of 10 or more passes recorded since the start of the season, the second-worst figure after Verona's 17. Above all, they have recorded the lowest average number of passes made per sequence in the Serie A this year: just 2.55.

LUVUMBO RANIERI'S WILDCARD, DOSSENA THE BASTION OF DEFENCE
Much of Cagliari's attacking threat revolves around the liveliness of Zito Luvumbo, scorer of the Rossoblù’s only Serie A goal this season and one away from 50 appearances for Cagliari in all competitions. The Angolan is an extremely quick and dangerous player, especially when space opens up in behind. He is always willing to take a risk: this is demonstrated by the 20 dribbles attempted, ¼ of the team's total (20/80) and the sixth-highest in the league so far. First among Cagliari's players also for the number of fouls suffered (10), sometimes his exuberance can lead him to stray from the tactical context, shown by the six offsides he’s recorded so far, fewer only than Victor Osimhen (eight). 

The most consistent performing Cagliari player, however, must be defender, Alberto Dossena, the central pivot of the three-man defence employed by Ranieri. First among outfield players for balls recovered (42), ahead of Bryan Cristante (40) and his teammate Antoine Makoumbou (29), Dossena has excelled at defending his area and blocking his opponents’ efforts; this is proven by his 29 blocks recorded this season, second only to Radu Drăgușin's 31 so far this season. 

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