AC Milan kick off 2026 with an opportunity to climb to the top of the Serie A standings as they head to Sardinia to take on Cagliari on Friday evening.The Rossoneri are looking to extend both their impressive league unbeaten run and a dominant head‑to‑head sequence in which they have avoided defeat in each of their last 15 encounters with the Sardinian side.AC Milan team newsRafael Leão is set to rejoin the squad after the Portuguese forward shook off his injury issues and completed a full week of training with the group.In contrast, Massimiliano Allegri has ruled Christopher Nkunku out of the trip because of a left ankle injury, even though the midfielder was the star of the show with a brace in Milan’s 3-0 triumph over Hellas Verona in their final outing of 2025.Christian Pulisic has also been involved in first-team training, but the medical staff will make a final call on his involvement closer to kick-off.At the back, Milan have been boosted by the news that Matteo Gabbia has overcome his knee problem and is available among the substitutes, while Strahinja Pavlović has travelled after recovering from a recent bout of fever and is in line to feature provided he suffers no setback. Santiago Giménez, however, remains on the sidelines as he continues his rehabilitation from an ankle issue. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});AC Milan predicted lineupPossible AC Milan starting XI: Maignan; Tomori, De Winter, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers, Loftus-Cheek, Modric, Rabiot, Bartesaghi; Pulisic, LeaoWhen will the match kick off?The match will kick off at 7:45pm BST on Friday, 2nd January.How to watch Cagliari vs AC Milan?For viewers in the United Kingdom, Cagliari vs AC Milan will be broadcast live on DAZN, with additional coverage also scheduled on Sky and NOW.Read Also – Pep Guardiola philosophical as Man City lose ground to ArsenalSee More – ‘It’s who we are’ – Slot comments on Liverpool penalty decision in Leeds drawFollow the Football Faithful on Social Media:Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTubeThe post AC Milan XI vs Cagliari – Predicted lineup and team news first appeared on The Football Faithful.