CAGLIARI v AC MILAN: MATCH PREVIEW

Another away day on the horizon for the Rossoneri, the third in a row after Monza and Madrid. We'll head out onto the pitch in Cagliari at 18:00 CET to continue this small but mighty positive run. At the Unipol Domus, it's matchday 12 of the Serie A Enilive, a crucial step before the last international break of 2024. After beating Real Madrid, it will now be key to stay focused and win again in Cagliari. Here we are with our usual Preview of the match.

LATEST FROM MILANELLO
The squad come off the back of a brilliant night in Madrid and will now face Cagliari, hoping to close out this run in the best way possible ahead of the last international break of 2024. So far, we have collected four wins and a defeat since the October international break, but the confidence following the performance at the Bernabéu will also be needed for the Rossoneri to overcome this last obstacle and stay in the running near the top of the table. Morata is out due to a problem sustained in training on Thursday at Milanello. Gabbia is also out, he will likely return against Juventus, like the long-term absentees Bennacer and Florenzi. In the place of Morata, Francesco Camarda will make his full Serie A debut, the vote is still out on who will complete the line-up.

Coach Fonseca spoke on the eve of the game: "It's important to understand that it will be a different game in Cagliari with respect to Madrid, and we can't slip up. We need to have the right attitude to win. Leão and Camarda will start".

LATEST FROM CAGLIARI
Davide Nicola's Cagliari come off the back of three consecutive defeats in Serie A against Udinese, Bologna and Lazio. This run was preceded by a positive streak of three games with wins over Torino and Parma and a draw away to Juventus, plus the Coppa Italia win over Cremonese. 9 points on the board, 5 picked up at the Unipol Domus: Yerry Mina and Adopo, sent off on Monday night at the Olimpico against Lazio, will be out against the Rossoneri. Nicola could field a 4-2-3-1 with Piccoli in attack and Zortea-Viola-Luvumbo behind him.

Davide Nicola had the following to say: "We are Cagliari, and we know we're going to face a big side. We need to stay humble. For us, AC Milan are a very difficult opponent, against whom our 100% isn't enough to win. We need to bring something extra".

PRE-MATCH STATS

• AC Milan have won each of their last four away games against Cagliari in Serie A (already a record-breaking run against the Sardinians in the competition). The Rossoneri have scored in every single one of their past 13 away encounters against Cagliari in the Italian top flight (22 in total, an average of 1.7 per match). 
• AC Milan have kept a clean sheet in four of their last seven Serie A matches - as many shutouts as in their previous 17 games in the competition - scoring twelve and conceding five in this period. Only once this calendar year have the Rossoneri kept a clean sheet for two games in a row in the Italian top flight. 
• In percentage terms, AC Milan have been the most prolific side in the opening 45 minutes of matches this Serie A campaign (11/17 goals, 65%). On the contrary, only Genoa and Lecce (both two) have scored fewer first-half goals than Cagliari (four). 

WHERE TO WATCH ON TV
In Italy, the game will be live on DAZN. To watch Cagliari v AC Milan from a different country, please consult the 'AC Milan on TV' page. Follow Matchday on Milan TV: live coverage will begin at 17:15 CET until shortly before kick-off, with the game being followed by interviews and Coach Fonseca's press conference. Don't miss out on our coverage via acmilan.com, the AC Milan Official App (where the full deferred broadcast will be available in the coming days), our official social media channels and WhatsApp.

LATEST FROM SERIE A
Michael Fabbri will be the referee for the match at the Unipol Domus in Cagliari. Meli and Alassio will be his assistants, while Galipò will perform the role of fourth official. Aureliano, assisted by Di Paolo, will oversee VAR. Fabbri has refereed nine matches involving the Rossoneri to date (five wins, two draws and two defeats). The last such encounter was AC Milan's 2-1 victory over Spezia on 5 November 2022.

Matchday 12 in Serie A kicked off on Thursday 7 November with Genoa 1-1 Como, while it finished Lecce 1-1 Empoli yesterday evening. Today, the following games will take place: Venezia v Parma (15:00 CET), Cagliari v AC Milan (18:00 CET) and Juventus v Torino (20:45 CET). On Sunday, five matches are scheduled: Atalanta v Udinese (12:30 CET), Fiorentina v Hellas Verona (15:00 CET), Roma v Bologna (15:00 CET), Monza v Lazio (18:00 CET) and Inter v Napoli (20:45 CET). 

The current table: Napoli 25; Inter 24; Atalanta, Fiorentina and Lazio 22; Juventus 21; AC Milan** 17; Udinese 16; Bologna** and Empoli* 15; Torino 14; Roma 13; Hellas Verona 12; Genoa* and Como* 10; Parma, Cagliari and Lecce* 9; Monza and Venezia 8. (* one more match played) (** one game in hand)

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