PREVIEW: Milan set for Cagliari clash

Cagliari will play AC Milan at the Stadio Is Arenas on Sunday after the Sardinian club won an appeal to play the fixture at their home ground.

Football News: Mario Balotelli, AC Milan

The venue for this weekend's game was changed twice inside 24 hours and both clubs are eager to put a tumultuous week behind them.

The Stadio Is Arenas will host the Rossoneri after Cagliari's mayor's office overturned a Lega Serie A decision to move the game 500 miles north to the Stadio Olimpico in Turin.

The Rossoblu have struggled to satisfy the health and safety requirements of the local prefecture on a regular basis this season and were forced to play Juventus in Parma before Christmas.

Cagliari are unbeaten in four games but Nene, Radja Nainggolan and Danilo Avelar will play no part against the Rossoneri due to injury.

Milan, meanwhile, are chasing third place after Mario Balotelli made an instant impact with a brace against Udinese, including a last-minute penalty to win it 2-1.

Under pressure Inter Milan boss Andrea Stramaccioni searches for an elusive win at the expense of Chievo, Alberto Malesani will be tasked with lifting Palermo off the foot of the table after replacing Gian Piero Gasperini this week but the Sicilians' opponents, Pescara, are just as eager to escape the relegation zone.

There was a managerial change at Roma, too, where Aurelio Andreazzoli has taken over from Zdenek Zeman until the end of the season. His first task is a trip to Liguria to face mid-table outfitSampdoria.

Parma look for a first win in five games as Samp's city rivals Genoa visit the Stadio Ennio Tardini, with the Rossoblu a much-improved prospect under returning boss Davide Ballardini.

Torino will hope to extend a seven-game unbeaten run at Udinese, where they have not won in over 20 years, as struggling Siena strive for a second win on the bounce at the expense ofBologna.

Elsewhere, Atalanta take on upwardly-mobile Catania at the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia.

Saturday

Juventus opened up a five-point lead at the Serie A summit on Saturday with a 2-0 win over Fiorentina while second-placed Napoli were held to a 1-1 draw at Lazio.

First-half goals from Mirko Vucinic and Alessandro Matri sealed the victory for the Bianconeri, condemning La Viola to a third straight away defeat.

Juve boss Antonio Conte had played down talk of a fierce rivalry between Turin and Florence and there was precious little evidence of competition on the pitch as Vucinic was left unchallenged to slam home the opener.

Matri lost his boot when swinging at Arturo Vidal's canny pass but his socked foot guaranteed Juve all three points before what turned out to be an insipid second half.

Napoli secured a point in Saturday evening's later game thanks to Hugo Campagnaro's spectacular 87th-minute equaliser at the Stadio Olimpico.

Campagnaro met Omar El Kaddouri's corner with an acrobatic scissor-kick to cancel out Sergio Floccari's breakaway goal in the 11th minute.

Sunday's Serie A Fixtures

Parma vs Genoa

Cagliari vs AC Milan

Udinese vs Torino

Atalanta vs Catania

Palermo vs Pescara

Sampdoria vs Roma

Bologna vs Siena

Inter Milan vs Chievo

Saturday's results

Juventus 2-0 Fiorentina

Match Report

Nedved: Juventus ready for Celtic

Lazio 1-1 Napoli

Match Report



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