Milan-Cagliari

By: Jeremy | February 20th, 2009

Are we ready to pull another shocker to show Serie A that we are very serious about qualifying for Europe? That is the question as we hit the road to play Milan at the San Siro in what will likely be one of the more exciting matches in Serie A this weekend. The good thing about playing a big club is that we often end up on TV and this weekend is no different. I believe the game will be on FSC at 12pm eastern time on Sunday(tape delay, but who cares) so Im even more psyched up and see another Juve type game on the tv.

Both teams come into the match with plenty to play for even if the mindsets of the club are likely different. With Milan playing midweek against Bremen in Germany, combined with them being a little banged up mentally and physically, and Cagliari being fully healthy with no suspensions, we get them at the best possible time. After last weeks loss to Inter likely eliminating Milan from Scudetto contention, with the midweek road game as well, Milan may just take this weekend to recover and see where they are and what their goals will be for the rest of the season. While returning to the Champions League is a must for this team, they cannot afford to take weeks off with the likes of Roma, Fiorentina et al ready to push them out of the top four. They also know Cagliari isnt the easy win they typically expect. With Kaka likely not to play, they might be missing what they need to make victory a foregone conclusion. They are going to have to work to get what they want out of this match where as in past encounters, they could show up, tie their shoes and get three points. This was the approach they took in week 6 and we ended up getting our first point of the season and the turnaround began. They better not take us so lightly this weekend for the return match.

Cagliari comes in with no injuries or suspensions and completely relaxed in seventh place, in the mix for European football. Even with the loss to Atalanta, we have been on such a good streak that the team must feel like a high finish is really in the cards this year. Last weekends home win over Lecce allows the team to come in comfortable with their position and no expectations. This was the mindset against Juve and we all know what happened there. While I dont have any statistics, I do wonder when we last beat Milan at the San Siro. Probably not as long as the Juve curse so who cares. We are in it to win it this weekend.

With Milan being an attacking fast paced team, combined with Cagliaris new found offensive style, this should make for an entertaining and counterattacking game. Right up our alley if Jeda and Acquafresca show up to play. Biondinis return should also amp up the midfield pace and he will be a key if we are to win this game. With a relaxed mindset, we are likely to see the team play like they did against Juve rather then the tight boring team we saw against Lecce. With all these positives, it should be enough to get points against one of the most talented teams in the league who are looking to forget this past week and get back to winning as they are so used to doing.

There is no doubt Milan has the superior talent and with Ronaldinho and Beckham showing recent flashes of their past glory, the Cagliari defense will be constantly tested. Bending and not breaking with some counterattacks and not wasting chances will be the goal for Cagliari if they expect to win. With Milan typically playing to the level of their opponents, they will have to be at their best to win as this is not your relegation minded Cagliari side. If they think Cagliari isnt coming to win, they will be surprised. With Allegri starting to gain more recognition for the job he has done, he will continue to make sure the players are ready and should have a good tactical approach to this game.

This is a game where Cagliari could sneak into town and get points or Milan could win by 2-3 goals because their overall talent cannot be ignored. These are two clubs who arent that far apart in the standings and Cagliari is arguably the more in form team. This means we are going to get some points.

Prediction

Milan 1-1 Cagliari