Cagliari vs AC Milan prediction: ITALY: Serie A betting tips on match 2023-09-26 16:30.
Manager Claudio Ranieri sent a stern message to his Cagliari players after Sundayâs 2-0 defeat at Atalanta, reminding them that they are in Serie A (SA) now and must quickly adapt. The comments come with the newly promoted outfit winless in their opening five league games (D2, L3), just as they were in their last SA campaign in 2021/22, which ultimately ended in relegation.
Only enhancing concern in the home camp will be the fact Cagliari have scored just one SA goal so far this term, which was six fewer than they managed at this stage in that fateful 2021/22 season. Confidence in improving that return wonât be high given the hosts have failed to score in six of their last seven H2Hs with AC Milan, none of which ended in victory (D1, L6).
After the disastrous 5-1 defeat to arch-rivals Inter Milan was followed up by a frustrating 0-0 draw at home to Newcastle United in the Champions League, it was crucial Milan got back to winning ways this past weekend against Hellas Verona. They did that, but their 1-0 success wasnât pretty, with the performance not helped by manager Stefano Pioli having to switch to a 3-4-3 instead of his usual 4-3-3 due to injuries sustained by full-backs Davide Calabria and Theo HernĂĄndez.
Despite that defensive disruption, back-to-back competitive clean sheets for the first time since April will have pleased Pioli. Heâd love to see his side grab a third in succession and in doing so make it consecutive SA clean-sheet victories for the first time since February.
Key battle: Given their form, it wonât be a huge shock to hear that only four SA goalkeepers had made more saves than Cagliariâs Boris RadunoviÄ (13) after the opening five rounds. Rafael LeĂŁoâs goal for AC Milan against Verona meant he scored in three consecutive SA matches for the first time and for only the second time for a side in one of the âBig Fiveâ European leagues.
Hot stat: Milan boss Pioli has beaten just two sides more often than Cagliari in his managerial career (W13, D5, L5).