CAGLIARI v AC MILAN: DUELS

This is not an evening to be taken lightly. At the "Unipol Domus" in the Sardinian capital of Cagliari, it will be a tough game against a side that is desperate for points in a relegation scrap, and who caused the Rossoneri to slip up on the penultimate matchday of last season. Against Mazzari's Cagliari, AC Milan will need to be at their best. The individual duels will be decisive and the boys will need to win their key match-ups. Here are some of the most intriguing ahead of tomorrow evening's game.

RAOUL BELLANOVA vs THEO HERNÁNDEZ
Hernández is coming up against a product of the Rossoneri's youth system. On the one hand, we have the 21-year-old Raoul, who - much like Giorgio Altare, another Cagliari defender who learned his trade at Vismara - never made an appearance for the AC Milan first team. On the other hand, we have 24-year-old Theo, who has become and will remain a key member of this squad. After spending time with Bordeaux, Atalanta and Pescara, Bellanova has now found a home in Cagliari. Stamina, strength and speed make Raoul perfect for Mazzari's style of football and he has nailed down a starting berth since October. Bellanova is the Cagliari player with the most attempted dribbles this season (53); he also scored his first Serie A goal in the win away at Torino. Hernández is returning from a suspension, which saw him miss AC Milan v Empoli, and has provided more assists (6) and drawn more fouls (49) than any other AC Milan player in the current campaign. Alongside Tonali and Maignan, he is one of the three AC Milan players with the most appearances in all competitions this season.

ANDREA CARBONI vs PIERRE KALULU
Next up, we have two up-and-coming defenders - the Cagliari man born in 2001 and the Frenchman in 2000 - who are currently going through wildly disparate periods. Carboni, who was born and raised in the province of Nuoro in Sardinia, has started on the bench in each of Cagliari's last five games, with Obert and Altare preferred alternatively ahead of him. Kululu, on the other hand, is in his best form of the season, and probably of his young AC Milan career. Mazzarri could restore Andrea to the starting line-up against the Rossoneri. To date, Carboni is the Cagliari player with the most passes completed in his own half (459), duels (41), clearances (69) and shots blocked (14). Should he feature at the Unipol Domus, Kalalu would reach 20 Serie A appearances this season, of which seven of the last ten have been as a starter. The French youngster has played 1,128 minutes, made 83 recoveries and won 52 duels - stats that confirm his purple patch.

RĂZVAN MARIN vs SANDRO TONALI
Two key figures for their respective teams - both of whom wear the number 8 shirt - will meet in midfield. Marin is a stalwart in Mazzarri's team, while Tonali is looking better and better by the game. The Romanian's versatility is a key asset to this Cagliari side; Marin has played as a trequartista, a central midfielder and as a mezzala under Mazzarri. His performance levels have always remained high and he is ever-dependable. Răzvan, who was born in 1996, stands out amongst his teammates for total passes completed (972), passes completed in the opposition half (577), crosses attempted (103) and appearances (28). On the other hand, Cagliari are special opponents for Sandro Tonali, who made his Serie A debut on 25 August 2019 as a Brescia player against the Rossoblù. Furthermore, the young star scored his first goal in an AC Milan shirt in the reverse fixture from a free-kick. Much like Marin, Tonali leads his team for passes completed in the opposition half (603) and crosses attempted (89), and has also completed the most passes in his own half of any player at AC Milan (879).

JOÃO PEDRO vs ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIĆ
Finally, we present to you two talismans, both in their numbers and charisma. The Brazilian, who is also naturalised Italian, has been at Cagliari since September 2014. He is the Rossoblù's captain and wears the number 10 shirt, incidentally, the same number of his goals scored in the league this season. He has scored three goals in ten games against AC Milan in his career, all between 2017 and 2018; he is, however, without a goal in his last five games against the Rossoneri. We said that he was a leader as, beyond just goals, he leads his team for assists (4), shots on target (29), appearances (level with Marin) and fouls drawn. At the other end of the pitch is none other than Zlatan Ibrahimović, who could make his first start since 23 January (AC Milan v Juve). Ibra has scored in all seven of his previous games against Cagliari and, should he score tomorrow, he would become the second-oldest goalscorer in Serie A history (40 years and 167), overtaking Silvio Piola in 1954 (40 years and 121 days) and behind only Alessandro Costacurta (41 years and 25 years). Just like Giroud and Leão, Ibra has scored eight goals in Serie A this season.

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