Stefano Pioli starts the year with a revolution

Milan-Cagliari, lineups

As soon as the joy of the championship victory that restored things in the Champions zone is over, Stefano Pioli is preparing to risk it all in the Coppa Italia and will field an entirely new Milan, composed mainly of young talents. Resting the most experienced players was inevitable, but the massive turnover represents a premature leap into the future whose success will be determined only by the field. Jimenez and Chaka Traoré are the next to make their debut after Camarda, Simic and Zeroli, representatives of the Rossoneri Primavera, and will have to rely on veterans Theo Hernandez and Captain Calabria, the most experienced on the field against Cagliari at the Meazza.

Few traces remain of the Milan team that defeated Sassuolo. Maignan will give way to Mirante in goal, while Simic and Jimenez will form the defensive line along with Calabria and Theo (who will be in the center). Adli and Reijnders will make up the midfield and will have to guard Chukwueze, who will takeà the place of Pulisic, Romero and Traoré. The center forward will be; Jovic. So, Giroud, Leao and even Loftus-Cheek will be excluded, in the hope that this will be enough to overcome Ranieri’s team, also revisited but a bit closer to its best form.

Here is the Cagliari lineup: Radunovic in goal, the defense consisting of Di Pardo, Wieteska, Hatzidiakos and Obert, the midfield with Deiola, Makoumbou and Jankto, and Mancosu in the three-quarter (in a runoff with Sulemana), Luvumbo and Petagna in attack. The winner of this match will meet the winner of Atalanta-Sassuolo in the quarters and the winner of Bologna-Fiorentina in the semifinals. È a less competitive board thanks to the elimination of Inter. A smoother path was expected, but that is not a reason to underestimate the opponent. Stefano Pioli has decided to bet on the young team, hoping that the risk will pay off. However, è it is important not to run into a fatal mistake and fail a season goal. Thereò would be unforgivable.