Atalanta vs. AC Milan: Team News, Preview, Live Stream and TV Info
With the international break over, Serie A football returns this weekend. For AC Milan, this will entail a relatively short trip to Bergamo, where they are set to face Atalanta on Sunday afternoon in the hope of securing their first win in four games.
The Rossoneri have experienced a poor run of form with draws against Lazio and Chievo following a defeat away to Sassuolo. As a result they have fallen 11 points behind third-placed Roma in their pursuit of Champions League qualification, while their grip on a top-six spot has loosened.
Sinisa Mihajlovic’s men cannot afford too many more slip-ups if they are to ensure a return to continental competition next season, something Carlos Bacca spoke about recently. In an interview with Milan Channel (h/t Football Italia), the striker stated:
TOP NEWS
Madrid Fines Players $590K 😲
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Star-Studded World Cup Ad 🤩
"We have to continue to focus on our objective of Europe. Things haven’t changed now there are eight games to go, we have to get back into Europe. … I think it’ll be a difficult game against Atalanta, they won well against Bologna, they have a good team and they need to pick up points.
"
As noted by Bacca, Milan’s opponents this weekend are also desperate for results having been dragged into a relegation battle as this season has worn on.
After a bright start, Atalanta now find themselves sitting just five points above the bottom three, meaning that with eight league games left they are far from assured of survival. Their drop in form has led to pressure on coach Edy Reja, with speculation that he could leave soon.
Indeed, prior to the Nerazzurri’s victory over Bologna before the international break, club director Umberto Marino, speaking to Sky Sport Italia (h/t Football Italia), suggested that the coach could have been dismissed had his team failed to win.
Mihajlovic knows all too well what his opponent must feel in such circumstances; he too has faced continuous uncertainty about his future as Milan coach.
Recently, Rossoneri president Silvio Berlusconi spoke ambiguously, once again, about the Serbian’s job prospects to Radio Radio (h/t Football Italia), saying, “Mihajlovic? Let’s see how the season ends, then we’ll decide what to do.”
With the future looking so unclear for both clubs and their respective coaches, this weekend’s match will be overshadowed by an added edge of importance.
Date: Sunday, 3 April
Time: 2 p.m. BST (9 a.m. ET)
Venue: Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia, Bergamo, Italy
TV Info: BT Sport Extra 2 (UK), beIN Sports 3 (USA)
Live Stream: Bet365.com
Form Guide
Atalanta 2-0 Bologna
Lazio 2-0 Atalanta
Atalanta 0-2 Juventus
Carpi 1-1 Atalanta
Atalanta 2-3 Fiorentina
Milan 1-1 Lazio
Chievo 0-0 Milan
Sassuolo 2-0 Milan
Milan 5-0 Alessandria (Coppa Italia)
Milan 1-0 Torino
Team News
The last time these two teams met—at the San Siro in November—Atalanta had the better of proceedings. Per WhoScored.com they had more possession and more shots as Gianluigi Donnarumma was forced into a game-saving performance.
At the time, Mihajlovic favoured a 4-3-3, but those days are long gone. He has since fully implemented a 4-4-2 system, which has paid dividends.
Now, Milan are a defensively solid, hard-working outfit with a clearer tactical shape, albeit one that doesn’t produce exciting football. They are, however, harder to open up and beat as a consequence.
Unfortunately, two players that perhaps symbolise Mihajlovic’s rugged Rossoneri, strong centre-back Alex and midfield workhorse Juraj Kucka, are likely to miss this weekend’s clash due to injury, according to Sky (h/t Football Italia).
Cristian Zapata will step in to Alex’s place at the heart of defence alongside Alessio Romagnoli, while in midfield Andrea Bertolacci will continue in Kucka’s absence.
The main concern for Milan going into this match will be breaking down their hosts. Having scored just once in their last three fixtures, goals have become a major problem for Mihajlovic’s side, something he admitted after the draw with Lazio. Speaking to Sky Sport Italia (h/t ESPN FC), he said:
"It's another missed opportunity, we could've closed up two points from Fiorentina and Inter. It's the usual situation. We dominated the second half and created many chances, but if we don't put it in the net, it becomes difficult to win.
"
With M’Baye Niang out for the rest of the season, Luiz Adriano and Mario Balotelli have an opportunity to show they are capable of partnering Bacca up front, and both seem determined to re-assert themselves upon the first team.
The former played against Lazio and put in a strong performance, setting up his team’s only goal of the match. The latter has also been showing the requisite dedication, with Mihajlovic telling Sky (h/t Goal), “His behaviour has been 10 out of 10 this year. … I wanted to look him in the eyes, and he gave me the right impression. The key thing is that he's a good lad, and I really like him.”
Adriano is likely to get the nod for this weekend, but he will be under scrutiny with Balotelli on the substitutes' bench eager to show what he can do.
Atalanta may have won just once in 2016, but they nonetheless possess several talented individuals that could help turn their season around. Goalkeeper Marco Sportiello is one of Italy’s most consistent; no-one in Serie A makes more tackles per game than defensive midfielder Marten de Roon, per WhoScored; and Alejandro Gomez is the team's star man whether playing out on the left wing or behind a striker.
La Dea will be looking to build on their win over Bologna, and these players could prove integral in their chances of starting a winning run against Milan.
Reja will probably deploy a counter-attacking style of play in this match, with the intention of mitigating the Rossoneri’s goal threat before utilising the energy and drive of Jasmin Kurtic, as well as the skill and creativity of Gomez and Alessandro Diamanti on the break.
Predicted Lineups
Atalanta (4-3-3): Marco Sportiello; Andrea Masiello, Gabriel Paletta, Rafael Toloi, Boukary Drame; Jasmin Kurtic, Marten de Roon, Luca Cigarini; Alessandro Diamanti, Mauricio Pinilla, Alejandro Gomez
Unavailable: Carlos Carmona (injured)
Milan (4-4-2): Gianluigi Donnarumma; Ignazio Abate, Cristian Zapata, Alessio Romagnoli, Luca Antonelli; Keisuke Honda, Riccardo Montolivo, Andrea Bertolacci, Giacomo Bonaventura; Luiz Adriano, Carlos Bacca
Unavailable: Alex, Juraj Kucka, M’Baye Niang (injured)
Players to Watch
Gabriel Paletta failed to make much of an impact in his six months with Milan before being loaned out to Atalanta at the start of this season. But, with his time at the Bergamo club coming to end in a few months’ time, he will be hoping to impress his old employers with a solid defensive showing this weekend.
Giacomo Bonaventura will be in a not dissimilar position, as he too will face his old club on Sunday. The Milan winger came through Atalanta’s youth academy—renowned also for producing Riccardo Montolivo, among others—and, after a below-par period, will want to return to his best form on his old stomping ground.
Key Battle
Ignazio Abate has been excellent throughout the past few months for Milan, making it a small wonder that he was omitted from Antonio Conte’s Italy squad for the recent internationals.
Defensively he has been vital, while his pace and forward surges have been integral to his team’s attack. This Sunday, however, he will have his hands full up against Gomez.
The Argentinian trickster is Atalanta’s key offensive threat—as well as being one of Serie A's top performers, per Squawka.com—and he will look to run at Abate at every opportunity.
Odds
Atalanta: 12/5
Milan: 6/5
Draw: 11/5
All odds via Odds Shark.
