AC Milan vs. Atalanta: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream, TV Info
AC Milan is heating up, and will look to go into the international break with their momentum intact by beating Atalanta.
Date: Saturday, November 7
Time: 8:45 local time, 7:45 GMT, 2:45 EST
Venue: San Siro, Milan
TV Info: BT Sport Europe (UK), beIN Sports (U.S.)
Live Stream: beIN Sports Connect (U.S.)
After struggling from the end of September to the middle of October, Milan finally look like they're coming together.
After a humiliating 4-0 loss to Napoli at home at the brink of the last international break and a limp 1-1 draw against Torino coming out of it, the Rossoneri were beginning to look like the team that had finished 10th last year under Filippo Inzaghi.
Outlets like La Reppublica (h/t Football Italia) were reporting that new coach Sinisa Mihajlovic was already facing the sack.
Things were looking bleak, especially with bogey team Sassuolo on the horizon. But Mihajlovic's men overcame the Neroverdi 2-1, then took out Chievo 1-0 three days later.
But neither victory was particularly impressive. Against Sassuolo, they scored on a penalty and a corner kick, even though they spent the vast majority of the game with a man advantage after Sassuolo 'keeper Andrea Consigli was given a red card for taking down Carlos Bacca in the box. Against Chievo, they had to grind out a win at home, winning on a smart finish by full-back Luca Antonelli.
But the unimpressive string ended emphatically on Sunday. Facing a Lazio team ahead of them in the table, the Rossoneri went to the Stadio Olimpico and dominated. They blunted Lazio's attack and ran through the capital club's back line at will. The result was a 3-1 victory—their first of the season on the road—that shot Milan into the top five.
For the first time all season—and really the first time since they beat Roma late last season—Milan played a complete game from the back to the front line. It was a truly comprehensive performance and one that can give the Rossoneri great confidence going forward.
Atalanta are looking strong as well this season. La Dea have garnered 17 points this season, good for eighth place, ahead of teams like Juventus and Torino.
Relegation strugglers last season, Edy Reja has turned them into what looks like a solid mid-table team. In Mauricio Pinilla they have a reliable striker who has a flair for the spectacular. They also have an outstanding young goalkeeper, Marco Sportiello, whose performance both in victory and defeat have earned plaudits.
Reja's men will not be an easy out, and while Milan's performance against Lazio was splendid, it was still only one game and doesn't represent real progress—at least not yet. Last year's Milan was as likely to follow up a good performance with another as they were to fall on their faces. How they respond to last week's match will go a long way toward determining just what kind of team they are.
This fixture has been a seesaw over the last few seasons—each side has won three of the last six meetings.
Form Lines
| AC Milan | Atalanta |
| W 3-1 @ Lazio | L 3-0 @ Bologna |
| W 1-0 vs. Chievo | W 2-1 vs. Lazio |
| W 2-1 vs. Sassuolo | L 2-0 @ Juventus |
| D 1-1 @ Torino | W 3-0 vs. Carpi |
| L 4-0 @ Napoli | L 3-0 @ Fiorentina |
Predicted Formations
| AC Milan (4-3-3) | Atalanta (4-3-3) |
| Donnarumma | Sportiello |
| De Sciglio Romagnoli Mexes Antonelli | Masiello Paletta Toloi Drame |
| Kucka Montolivo De Jong | Kurtic De Roon Grassi |
| Honda Bacca Cerci | Gomez Pinilla Moralez |
Players to Watch
Carlos Bacca is on fire. The Colombian hit man has recorded three goals and an assist in his last four games.
One of only three players in the squad to score more than once this season, Bacca is proving an astute purchase. According to WhoScored.com's detailed statistics, he has hit the target with nine of his 18 shots, and another four that may have been destined for the target have been blocked. That's an insane accuracy rate, made even more incredible by the fact that he's only managing to get off 1.6 per game thanks to inadequate service.
But Bacca has an incredible sense for where space is and how to use it best. When he does get into dangerous positions, he has shown that he can dispatch the chance coolly and with precision.
With a top-notch goalkeeper in Sportiello between Atalanta's sticks, Bacca will need to take the service he's given and be clinical in front of goal. If he's off, Sportiello will stonewall him. He has to be ready to take his chances when they come.
One of the men facing him will be former Milan man Gabriel Paletta.
Paletta arrived at Milan in January after bailing from the sinking ship that was Parma. He was brought in to shore up a leaky defense that had been repeatedly shredded by opposing forwards during the first half of the season. He was moderately successful and far more solid than some other options, but he never regained the form he enjoyed in 2013-14, when he was easily the best center back in the league.
With the arrival of young center backs Alessio Romagnoli and Rodrigo Ely, one of Milan's older center backs had to go. The Rossoneri decided to let Paletta leave on a loan deal, and he instantly became a fixture in Atalanta's back four.
Paletta is a solid player, but his '13-14 season may have been a flash in the pan. If there was ever a time for him to find that kind of form, though, it's this game against a red-hot striker.
Key Matchup
The defensive pairing of Romagnoli and Alex had turned in some good results the last few weeks. Unfortunately that pairing will no longer be able to develop. The 33-year-old Brazilian was knocked unconscious in an accidental collision with a team-mate last week against Lazio and will be out for the foreseeable future.
Stepping into Alex's place was Philippe Mexes, playing in his first game of the season. His first touch was a header into the net to stick the dagger into Lazio's ribs.
Mexes is now likely to start alongside Romagnoli on Saturday.
When he's on form, he can be a very effective defender, but when he's off, he's full of mistakes at best and a red card waiting to happen at worst. Against the quality forwards he'll be facing on Saturday, Milan must hope the good version of Mexes turns up.
Both Mauricio Pinilla and German Denis are proven Serie A goalscorers. Denis has been Atalanta's primary striker since 2011-12, scoring a total of 53 times for La Dea. But Pinilla has replaced the aging Argentinian—the Chile international has bounced around Serie A since 2010 and has been the subject of some highlight-reel goals over the years.
One or the other will tip the spear for Atalanta on Saturday, and Mexes will need to be at his best to keep two gifted strikers back and keep Milan's second clean sheet of the year.
Odds (via Odds Shark)
AC Milan win: 20-31
Atalanta win: 4-1
Draw: 27-10
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