AC Milan are back in Serie A action after their excursion to the Middle East as they take on Cagliari at San Siro on Saturday night.
Milan will return home with silverware to display after they beat Juventus and Inter to win the Supercoppa Italiana in Saudi Arabia, meaning the new coach Sergio Conceicao has a trophy – the club’s 50th – after just two games in charge.
However, Conceicao also admitted in his pre-match press conference that the Super Cup is already in the past in his mind and that his thoughts are fully on facing Cagliari, to keep the good run going domestically.
As mentioned, the Conceicao era could hardly have started any better for Milan. Not only did they win the first trophy on offer this season but they did so by beating their two main rivals, coming from behind in both games and beating Inter in the 93rd minute after being 2-0 down.
However, the celebrations will stop as soon as the whistle blows on Saturday because there is a job to do. Milan know this all too well given that they drew 3-3 with Cagliari immediately after the 3-1 win over Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Focus will have to remain at a maximum and Conceicao has stressed this further by altering the pre-match routine, making the squad sleep at Milanello the night before the game and training on the San Siro pitch the day before.
In terms of injury news, there were two absences already known. Alessandro Florenzi is still recovering from an operation, while Samuel Chukwueze is likely to be out for a few more weeks yet after a quite serious muscle injury,
In his presser, Conceicao also confirmed that Ruben Loftus-Cheek has suffered a relapse of the flexor problem that has troubled him this season. He will be re-evaluated in around a week, so he could miss a few games.
Emerson Royal was carded in Milan’s 2-1 win over Juventus on Friday night and will thus miss the Cagliari game, as per the regulations of the Supercoppa. The ban is applied to the next league match so he was still be available for the final against the Nerazzurri.
According to the latest reports doing the rounds, Conceicao is likely to stick with playing a 4-2-3-1 system as he did from the start in both of the games out in Riyadh, before tweaking the system during the game.
Mike Maignan will be in goal with Fikayo Tomori, Malick Thiaw and Theo Hernandez almost certain of a place in the back four. The right-back spot is the big doubt, with Alex Jimenez battling Davide Calabria, given Emerson’s suspension.
The midfield double pivot is likely to be Youssouf Fofana – who celebrates his 26th birthday on Friday – and Yunus Musah. Tijjani Reijnders will therefore be in a more advanced role.
Christian Pulisic returns to being the right winger after starting on the left against Inter, with Rafael Leao back in the line-up after returning to full fitness. They will flank Alvaro Morata, the centre-forward.
Predicted Milan XI (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Jimenez, Tomori, Thiaw, Theo; Fofana, Musah; Pulisic, Reijnders, Leao; Morata.
