Atalanta will host the champions AC Milan in the Serie A at Gewiss Stadium on Saturday.
Atalanta have proved to be a staunch side in the past couple of seasons as Gien Piero Gasperini’s side has emerged as the new pathbreaker in the Italian top flight with their own playing style.
Atalanta showed some genuine promise in their win over Sampdoria and they will try to bring that confidence in their next match against the Rossoneri.
They have been beaten in the last three matches and will try to deny a fourth defeat on the bounce. Their defence is more organised in comparison to Milan’s and they will have to keep the Milan attackers at bay for most of the match.
If they manage to garner a valuable three points against Milan this could be the fifth time in the history of the Italian top flight that they start a season with consecutive wins. They last recorded this feat back in the 2020-21 season.
Following three back to back third place finishes they only managed an eighth place finish last time, far beneath their reputation and they have tried to plugged the loopholes in the summer.
Merih Demiral arrived from Juventus to boost the defensive lineup while Jeremie Boga and Ademola Lookman would provide some much needed depth to the attacking contingent.
Optimism has been quite high for AC Milan as they lifted the Serie A title after an 11 year hiatus and they would love to maintain the momentum this season too.
The Italian giants had an underwhelming victory over Udinese in the last match and manager Stefano Pioli admitted there is a lot of room for improvement for his side.
Bergamo has been a successful place for Milan off late and they would want to keep it that way. They are on seven matches winning run, their best since 2006 and Atalanta are standing in between them.
Milan netted four goals in their first game and they were pretty dominant in their away games last season winning 74% of their games.
Pioli’s tenure has brought a new belief to San Siro and they must be relishing the hype they have created so far. Milan will also be competing in the Champions League after a gap of a few years so the quality of football needs to be at the top level if they are to grind out something this season.
Atalanta vs Milan
Date: 22nd August, 2022
Time: 12:15 AM IST
Stadium: Gewiss Stadium
Atalanta vs Milan
Team News
Atalanta
Atalanta have lost a number of influential players in the summer as they have been the source of talents for clubs across the world. Davide Zappacosta, Mireh Demiral and Ederson won’t be available for this match.
AC Milan
Sandro Tonali will be pushing for a start after missing the first game. Ante Rebic scored a brace in the last match and should keep his place in the starting lineup.
Atalanta Possible Lineup
Juan Musso; Rafael Toloi, Berat Djimsiti, Caleb Okoli; Joakim Maehle, Teun Koopmeiners, Marten De Roon, Hans Hateboer; Mario Pasalic; Ademola Lookman, Duvan Zapata
AC Milan Possible Lineup
Mike Maignan; Pierre Kalulu, Theo Hernandez, Fikayo Tomori, Davide Calabria; Ismael Bennacer, Sandro Tonali; Alexis Saelemaekers, Brahim Diaz, Rafael Leao; Ante Rebic
Predictions
Given AC Milan’s recent record against Atalanta, they are clearly the favourite to snatch a win.
Atalanta vs Milan Fantasy XI No. 1
Maignan; Hernandez, Tomori, Toloi; De Roon, Pasalic, Tonali, Bennacer; Rebic, Leao, Zapata
Atalanta vs Milan Fantasy XI No. 2
Maignan; Hernandez, Tomori, Toloi, Okoli; De Roon, Pasalic, Tonali; Rebic, Leao, Zapata
