AC Milan vs Cagliari prediction: ITALY: Serie A betting tips on match 2025-01-10 19:45.
[p]Sérgio Conceição could not have had a better start to life as AC Milan manager. The 50-year-old, who replaced Paulo Fonseca in late December, has won both of his games in charge to guide the club to their first piece of silverware since 2021/22, as they lifted the Supercoppa Italiana following a sensational triumph over bitter rivals Inter, when the Rossoneri came from 2-0 down to claim a last-gasp 3-2 success.[/p]
[p]Milan must now transfer that form into Serie A, where they face an uphill battle in order to extend a four-year run of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League. Ahead of this round, a streak of just two wins from their last seven league fixtures (D4, L1), means they sit eight points outside the top four, although with at least one game in hand on most of the teams above them, hope isn’t lost yet.[/p]
[p]History suggests they will notch up another victory against Cagliari, who have won just one of 39 H2Hs this century (D8, L30)! But the Islanders did twice come from behind to secure a 3-3 draw when these two teams met earlier in the season, and they showed plenty of fight by earning a 2-1 victory over ten-man Monza in their most recent outing.[/p]
[p]That was a timely success for Davide Nicola’s side, who had lost five in a row across all competitions prior and would have been in the Serie A relegation zone had they lost. Instead, they come into this round outside of the bottom three on goal difference, but the manager is warning his players not to rest on their laurels, especially as they last won back-to-back league matches in March.[/p]
[p]Players to watch: Rafael Leão, who Conceição says can become the “best player in the world,” has scored more goals against Cagliari than any other opponent, six in just nine unbeaten H2Hs (W7, D2). Looking to make a telling contribution, Roberto Piccoli’s six Cagliari strikes this season have all served as the first or last of the match.[/p]
[p]Hot stat: Both Milan (W7, D2) and Cagliari (W3, D3) are unbeaten this season when scoring first in Serie A.[/p]
[p][i]Written by Matt Jones[/i][/p]