Cagliari vs AC Milan – Match preview and team news | OneFootball

AC Milan begin 2026 with a chance to go top of the Serie A table as they travel to Sardinia to face Cagliari on Friday night.

The Rossoneri is aiming to continue their impressive unbeaten streak in the league as well as their head to head record against Cagliari in which they haven’t lost in their last 15 meetings.

Cagliari vs AC Milan – Match preview and team news

Cagliari team news

Cagliari head into Friday’s clash bolstered by the return of key defensive figures. Both Yerry Mina and Juan Rodríguez have recovered from illness and returned to full training, strengthening the backline at a crucial time for Fabio Pisacane’s side.

Additionally, Zito Luvumbo and Joseph Liteta have returned from their commitments at the Africa Cup of Nations and featured in training at the Crai Sport Center on Monday.

Andrea Belotti remains sidelined after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament earlier in the season, while Michael Folorunsho has undergone surgery to and is expected to be back in January. Mattia Felici is also unavailable for selection along with Ze Pedro.

AC Milan team news

AC Milan will welcome back Rafael Leao after the Portuguese winger completed his recovery from injury and rejoined full training during the week. However, Massimiliano Allegri confirmed that Christopher Nkunku will miss the trip to Sardinia due to a left ankle problem, despite the midfielder scoring a brace in Milan’s 3-0 victory over Hellas Verona last weekend.

Christian Pulisic trained with the team this morning, though his condition will be evaluated on the day of the match. Defensive reinforcements are also on the way. Matteo Gabbia has recovered from his knee injury and will be available on the bench, while Strahinja Pavlović, who recently dealt with a fever, has travelled with the squad and is expected to play if he is fully recovered.

Santiago Giménez remains unavailable due to an ongoing ankle injury.

Form

Cagliari

After enduring a difficult run that saw them win just once in 12 league outings, Cagliari earned a morale-boosting 2-1 victory away at Torino last weekend in their final match of 2025.

However, survival remains the primary objective for the Sardinian outfit, who sit 14th in the table with 18 points, just six points clear of the relegation zone.

AC Milan

Massimiliano Allegri’s side have demonstrated remarkable consistency, extending their unbeaten run in Serie A to 15 consecutive matches following their dominant 3-0 victory over Hellas Verona on Sunday.

The Rossoneri have won four of their last five league matches and sit second in the table with 35 points, just one point behind Inter Milan.

Predicted lineups

Cagliari: Caprile; Zappa, Mina, Luperto; Palestra, Adopo, Deiola, Prati, Idrissi; Esposito, Kilicsoy.

AC Milan: Maignan; Tomori, De Winter, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers, Loftus-Cheek, Modric, Rabiot, Bartesaghi; Pulisic, Leao.

How to watch Cagliari vs AC Milan?

In the UK, Cagliari vs AC Milan will be shown live on DAZN, with coverage also available via Sky and NOW as part of the official AC Milan broadcast schedule.

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