Worn-out by defeat at Lazio, Cesena will look to survive the onslaught of a strong and confident A.C Milan, who are riding a high tide in Serie A and Champions League.
Cesena (19) will host A.C Milan (2) in matchday 24 encounter of the 2011/12 Serie A on Sunday, February 19th at 14:00 GMT.
The teams are far from equally matched with Cesena recovering from previous week’s defeat at Lazio. On the other hand, A.C Milan come into this game with memorable victories over Arsenal and Udinese on their backs.
Cesena
Daniele Arrigoni’s men will be low on confidence, as they squandered a two-goal advantage to lose 3-2 to Lazio in their last match. A.C Milan will pose a big challenge for the Seahorses, who have won only one of their last eight
games.
Cesena have suffered 14 defeats in the ongoing league campaign, which is the highest among all teams this season. They gave Milan a tough time in the earlier fixture of the current season, where the Champions limped to a 1-0 victory.
AC Milan
The Rossoneri enjoy the best away record of all teams this season, as they have won the most number of matches and have also amassed highest number of goal on their travels. Massimiliano Allegri’s men have won four of their last
five games on the road.
Milan will be looking to dethrone Juventus at the top of the table with a win over the relegation-held side.
Team News
Cesena
There are no major injury concerns for Cesena, as they will only be missing the services of Steve Von Bergen in their defence.
January signing, Vincenzo Iaquinta, is likely to start upfront alongside Adrian Mutu.
Expected Starting -: Antonioli; Comotto, Rodriguez, Rossi, Lauro; Santana, Colucci, Parolo, Pudil; Iaquinta, Mutu
A.C Milan
Massimiliano Allegri might ring some changes to his team due to a hectic fixture schedule. Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be serving second of his three-match suspension. Clarence Seedorf and Philippe Mexes will miss the game after injuring
themselves in the game against Arsenal.
Expected Starting Lineup: Abbiati; Abate, Nesta, Silva, Mesbah; Emanuelson, Ambrosini, Nocerino; Robinho; Lopez, El Shaarawy
Players to Watch
Adrian Mutu (Cesena)
With his vast experience, Adrian Mutu will be leading the attack against A.C Milan this Sunday. Having found the back of the net on seven occasions in 14 appearances already this season, the former Fiorentina star will pose a big
threat for the Rossoneri.
The Romanian has scored four goals against Milan during his career.
Robinho (AC Milan)
The Brazilian will be flying high after his brace against Arsenal recently. Robinho gave a perfect response to the critics, who blasted him for his wastefulness in front of goal. In the absence of Ibrahimovic, the former Manchester
City star will need to step up and anchor his team’s attack.
Predictions
The match may look one-sided on the books, but both set of fans are anticipating lot of fun from the game. Milan are favourites to continue their impressive run of form, and are likely to cruise to an easy away win.
Verdict: 0-2
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