11 January 2025. 9.45pm. Milan. “Giuseppe Meazza”
Series A, day 20
Nurse: Florenzi, Chukwueze, Loftus-Cheek – Luvumbo, Mina, Cioffi
Suspension : Emerson (“Milan”)
“Milan” vs “Cagliari”: Paris Odds
“Milan”
What a fantastic week for “Milan”! Following the dismissal of Paulo Fonseca, new coach Sergio Conceição needed just two matches to win his first trophy in red and black and win the hearts of the supporters. “Milan” won the Italian Super Cup thanks to the Portuguese tactician’s new strategy and two remarkable turnarounds. In the semi-final against ‘Juventus’, the Rossoneri overturned a 0-1 deficit to score the decisive goal in the 75th minute, while in the derby against ‘Inter’ they came back from 0-2 down to score the decisive goal in the 90+3rd minute!
It was later revealed that during half-time of the match against “Juventus”, Conceição broke a television in the dressing room. It was his way of motivating the team after a disastrous first half. After the match against “Inter”, Zlatan Ibrahimović commented: “I think the coach was hampered by illness by breaking the screen today.” Ahead of the clash with the Nerazzurri, players and staff were struck down by the flu, with Gabbia, Pavlovic and Abraham suffering serious symptoms. However, the latter managed to come on and score the crucial goal.
It turned out that medical staff in Riyadh had almost exhausted their supplies. Winning the Super Cup after coming back from a 0-2 deficit against the biggest rival in such conditions was three times more difficult.
After that, Conceição “created a buzz” on social media when he celebrated with a cigar in the dressing room, reminiscent of Carlo Ancelotti’s style. It looks like he has managed to regain the support of his players, with Theo Hernandez and Rafa Leao returning to showcase their exceptional talent. The Portuguese even took a dig at Fonseca: “He could have explained why I was on the bench for three consecutive matches…”
The match against “Cagliari” will be Conceição’s first match in Serie A as head coach. However, he admitted that he didn’t feel any emotion about it.
“Cagliari”
After suffering five defeats in a row, the Sardinians managed to secure a victory – and a crucial one against their direct rival, ‘Monza’. They triumphed away with a score of 2-1, thanks to goals from Zortea and Piccoli.
“I don’t expect “Milan” to be tired; they are used to playing every three days. In the second half of the match between “Milan” and “Inter”, I saw a aggressive team that played well vertically Will the absence of Mina change anything? No,” stressed Cagliari coach Davide Nicola. He said everything is going as he expected: “We performed better in the first half of the season than last year, and we have already started discussing moves in the transfer market. I I have 95% confidence in my team. Now let’s leave the job to the directors and see what they can do in the transfer market…”
“Milan” vs. “Cagliari”: Predictable Lineups
“Milan” vs. “Cagliari”: Author’s Prediction
Conceição had little time to adapt the team’s playing style to his philosophy, but he was partially successful, especially in the second half in the matches against “Juventus” and “Inter”. I wouldn’t want to rule out that “Milan” might still struggle in the first half, but we already know: if things go wrong in the first half, we will see the real “Milan” after the break.
Given the congested schedule, we shouldn’t expect a convincing victory from the Rossoneri. A 1-0 or 2-0 victory will be more than enough. I bet the hosts will keep their clean sheet.
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