Atalanta welcome AC Milan on Saturday in a tie that can have a huge impact on the title race and the battle for a top-four finish
AC Milan are slowly yet surely getting their season back on track and cannot afford to drop any more points when they travel to the Gewiss Stadium to take on Atalanta on Saturday night.
Stefano Pioli’s men are currently six points off Serie A leaders Inter Milan and have the all-important UEFA Champions League clash against Newcastle United coming next midweek. Momentum will be key if the Rossoneri are keen to salvage their domestic and continental campaigns.
Atalanta also find themselves in dire need of a win following a run of four league games without a win. This has seen them plummet down the standings in Serie A. Gian Piero Gasperini’s men are currently four points off fourth-placed AS Roma and cannot afford to drop any further behind.
Gaperini’s side are also winless in their last four league games, necessitating the immediate need to bring that unwanted run to an end. However, with injuries plaguing both teams, neither Atalanta nor AC Milan should be at full strength. In the end, it could come to whichever manager manages to get the best out of his available resources on the night.
The Hard Tackle takes a look at how these two sides will line up and what tactics they might employ.
Team News & Tactics
Atalanta BC
๐ La ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฎ ๐๐๐ฎ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฎ di mister #Gasperini alla vigilia di #AtalantaMilan รจ iniziata
๐ Coach Gasperiniโs ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ahead of #Atalanta v Milan is underway#GoAtalantaGo โซ๏ธ๐ต #SerieATIM pic.twitter.com/0SMYGll24h
โ Atalanta B.C. (@Atalanta_BC) December 8, 2023
The home side have picked up just one point from their last four league games, falling out of the European spots. Gasperini will be keen to get his side’s campaign back on track and a win against AC Milan will certainly be a confidence booster.
Atalanta, however, will have to contend with injuries, limiting the availability of Berat Djimsiti, El Bilal Toure, Jose Palomino, Rafael Toloi, Davide Zappacosta and Gianluca Scamacca.
Gasperini is expected to retain his 3-4-1-2 formation with Juan Musso in goal. The centre-back trio of Giorgio Scalvini, Marten de Roon and Sead Kolasinac will form the last line of defence withย Hans Hateboer and Matteo Ruggeri occupying the wing-back slots.
Ederson and Teun Koopmeiners should form the muscle in the middle of the park, freeing up Marko Pasalic to don the number 10’s role. Luis Muriel and Adema Lookman should start up front ahead of Milan loanee Charles De Ketelaere.
Probable Lineup (3-4-1-2): Musso; Scalvini, De Roon, Kolasinac; Hateboer, Ederson, Koopmeiners, Ruggeri; Pasalic; Lookman, Muriel.
AC Milan
The visitors are struggling with injuries to their defensive roster and Pioli will have decisions to make. The Milan boss will be without Mallick Thiaw, Mattia Caldara, Pierre Kalulu and Simon Kjaer.
The Rossonerri have other absentees as well with Marco Sportiello, Marco Pellegrino, and Noah Okafor all out as well. Star attacker Rafael Leao is also a doubt for the game and will at best, make the bench on the night.
Pioli is likely to go with his 4-2-3-1 formation with Mike Maignan in goal. The French shot-stopper should be protected by the back four of Davide Calabria, Fikayo Tomori, Theo Hernandez and Alessandro Florenzi.
A new matchday, a new opponent, the same target ๐ฏ
Listen to what the Coach had to say ahead of #AtalantaMilan ๐ฃ#SempreMilan pic.twitter.com/yYpYb2t9aK
โ AC Milan (@acmilan) December 8, 2023
Tijjani Reijinders and Yunus Munsah will hold down the fort in midfield as the double pivot, handing the trio of Samuel Chukwueze, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Christian Pulisic the freedom to push forward.
With Leao likely to play a role off the bench at best, the onus to find the back of the net will be on veteran striker Olivier Giroud. How well the French legend can lead the line will decide the fate of the game for the visitors.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Calabria, Tomori, Hernandez, Florenzi; Reijnders, Musah; Chukwueze, Loftus-Cheek, Pulisic; Giroud.
Key Stats
- AC Milan are unbeaten in their last five Serie A games against Atalanta. The last time they went on such a run of six games was between 2008-2012.
- Atalanta have drawn 44 of their 124 Serie A games against AC Milan, more than any other opponent bar Juventus who are also on 44 draws.
- Atalanta have kept just one clean sheet at home against AC Milan in their last 15 Serie A meetings.
- AC Milan have won as many as of their opening 14 games of a Serie A campaign for four consecutive seasons for the second time in their history.
- A loss on the night will see Atalanta lose three Serie A games on the trot for the first time since 2022.
- A loss on the night will condemn Atalanta to their 15th loss in Serie A in the calendar year. They last achieved this dubious distinction in 2015.
Player to Watch
Olivier Giroud
With Rafael Leao carrying an injury, the onus to score goals falls on Olivier Giroud. The French veteran remains a top player despite his advancing age but appears to lack the same cutting edge that he has shown in recent years.
The likes of Pulisic and Loftus-Cheek are likely to link up well with their former Chelsea teammate and which way the cookie crumbles should depend much on how well Giroud can keep the Atalanta defence occupied.
Prediction
Atalanta BC 1-1 AC Milan
While both sides could do with a win, the amount of key players missing evens out the odds more or less. Milan will aim for a strong start and should that fail, the game could eventually swing in the home side’s favour. The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-1 draw between the two teams.
