Matchday 18: Cagliari v Milan

The big story coming into the game for Milan is the availability of the attackers. Pulisic, who scored again last week, is supposedly still nursing a sore hamstring and may not even be on the bench (although he did travel with the team). Leão is finally back and is likely to be pushed into starting since Nkunku apparently suffered an ankle injury vs Hellas Verona. With a lot of rumors swirling about him, including Fenerbahçe perhaps making a concrete offer albeit too low, it wouldn’t surprise me if they don’t want to risk injury with him.

So, while this means RLC will likely be pushed into the front 2, the other big news grabbing everyone’s attention is the formal addition of Niclas Füllkrug on loan from West Ham, announced by the team just a little bit ago. This means he is available and has been training with the team since around Christmas, so he should have a decent sense of what Allegri wants out of him. He very likely won’t start but might also be the only other attacking option on the bench for Allegri to turn to if needed.

Some of you remember we were tracking him as a possible transfer target in the summer of 2024 but he ended up going to West Ham for €27M. Milan is getting him on loan with a reported €5M option, which if he’s even remotely decent they need to pull the trigger considering he’s under contract for 2 more years. His wages might be a tad high so that might end up preventing a permanent move but true #9s are hard to come by. I personally like the move and while I don’t think he’s going to set the world on fire with his goals, he’s a nice fit with 2 very capable wingers who can work off of him.

The other story before I move on to Cagliari is the CB situation…perhaps unsurprising since this is the other position Milan is thin on. Gabbia is still recovering from a hyperextended knee although will be back on the bench. But Pavlović reportedly has the flu and isn’t as recovered as they were hoping. This leaves Tomori, De Winter, and Odogu as the only healthy CBs. If Allegri wants to run with a 3-man backline that means either Odogu starts or he moves Bartesaghi to LCB and Estupiñan starts at LWB. That or he goes with a 4-man backline and plays Saelemaekers or Athekame at RB.

As for Cagliari, they won their first game since September 23rd on December 7th, beating Roma at home 1-0. They followed that up with a late loss at Atalanta and a 2-2 draw against Pisa at home. But they got a solid road win at Torino (and prior to the Roma game drew against Napoli in the Coppa before losing on PKs) and are going to be a tough foe especially at home. So, expect a confident side and one that might come out on the front foot being at home. Maybe Allegri can use that to Milan’s advantage. Sit back some then get Leão on the counter.