AC Milan vs Atalanta

February 25, 2024

AC Milan return to action on Sunday evening, when they host top-four hopefuls Atalanta at San Siro.

Atalanta won’t fear another trip to San Siro, where they’ve only lost two of the last ten competitive meetings with AC Milan (winning four).

La Dea already beat AC Milan twice earlier in the campaign, with Gian Piero Gasperini's men last securing a 2-1 victory at San Siro in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals last month.

They also won 3-2 at the Gewiss Stadium in December, when AC Milan leveled the score twice but Luis Muriel's stoppage-time winner left them empty-handed at the end.

AC Milan Betting Preview (+140 at Everygame)

Having booked their place in the Europa League last-16, where they will face Czech side Slavia Prague, the Rossoneri are coming off the back of the 4-2 defeat at the hands of Monza in Serie A last time out.

They have qualified for the Europa League round of 16 with a 5-3 aggregate score despite Thursday’s 3-2 defeat at Ligue 1 side Rennes.

The back-to-back defeats to Monza and Rennes have come at a moment when AC Milan must brace themselves for tricky league games against Atalanta and Lazio (away) before the first leg of their Europa League tie with Slavia Prague.

There shouldn't be any concerns over their 3-2 loss at Rennes in the Europa League on Thursday, though, as it was a calculated risk following AC Milan's 3-0 victory in the first leg.

Yet, it is going to be a nervy watch for Stefano Pioli, whose rotations last weekend didn't pay off when AC Milan conceded four goals against Monza and his side missed an opportunity to overtake Juventus in second place.

The Rossoneri will be back in Serie A action on Sunday. Now nine behind current leaders and fierce rivals Inter Milan, the third-placed Rossoneri are set for an important visit from Champions League-chasing Atalanta, who currently occupy fourth spot in the Serie A table.

AC Milan have captain Davide Calabria and Pierre Kalulu back in the squad for the weekend. According to Sky Sport Italia, both Calabria and Kalulu will be in the matchday squad after muscular injuries, which in Kalulu’s case could be his first appearance since a serious thigh tear in October.

Elsewhere, Serbian forward Luka Jovic is suspended following his straight red card against Monza, with influential defender Fikayo Tomori and midfielder Tommaso Pobega the only remaining long-term absentees.

Veteran Olivier Giroud, therefore, is the only real alternative to start upfront. With 12 goals and eight assists in 22 Serie A appearances, the 37-year-old Frenchman is aging like fine wine and will be eager to add to his tally on Sunday evening.

Stefano Pioli could rotate with the return of Malick Thiaw at the back and midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek in an advanced role.

Atalanta Betting Preview (+200 at Everygame)

Atalanta make the short trip to Milan on the back of a 3-0 home win against Sassuolo last weekend. It was their sixth straight win across all competitions as Gian Piero Gasperini's men are now remarkably on a nine-game unbeaten run (8-1-0 record) since the 1-0 defeat at Bologna just before Christmas.

La Dea finished fifth last term and is now pushing to move into the Serie A top four. The Bergamo outfit are seven points off their opponents, but do have a game in hand.

Meanwhile, Atalanta continue to fight on multiple fronts as they will also face Fiorentina in the Coppa Italia semi-finals in April (in two legs) while they are set to resume their Europa League campaign with a tie against Portuguese giants Sporting CP next month.

Gian Piero Gasperini's only injury concern is with experienced defender Jose Luis Palomino, who has suffered another injury setback a couple of weeks ago.

Teun Koopmeiners already boasts nine goals in all competitions, with seven coming on the road. In the previous two meetings between AC Milan and Atalanta so far in 2023-24, the Netherlands midfielder has been involved in three goals (two goals, one assist), netting a crucial brace in the Coppa Italia tie on 10 January.

Matteo Ruggeri remained an unused substitute against Sassuolo last time out but the Italy U21 international will hope to get the nod on the left flank over Davide Zappacosta.

Ademola Lookman, who scored a brace in the 3-2 victory over AC Milan in December, is yet to feature since he returned from international duty. The Nigerian forward was involved in his country's Africa Cup of Nations campaign and he could make his first appearance for Atalanta in 2024.

With seven goals and three assists in 18 Serie A appearances, Lookman is once again of Atalanta's standout performers this season. He missed Atalanta's last two Serie A matches due to an ankle sprain, though, and Gasperini could be cautious with him.

Mario Pasalic has either scored or assisted in each of Atalanta's last three matches (two goals, one assist) and the Croatian international is now just one goal short from the milestone of scoring 50 times for the Nerazzurri in all competitions (currently on 49 in 230 appearances).

Charles De Ketelaere will be keen to prove his worth to his parent club with the Belgian forward already providing an assist for Ademola Lookman's second strike in the 3-2 home win over AC Milan in December’s reverse fixture.

Possible Starting Lineups of AC Milan and Atalanta

AC Milan: Mike Maignan - Davide Calabria, Malick Thiaw, Matteo Gabbia, Theo Hernandez - Ismael Bennacer, Tijjani Reijnders - Christian Pulisic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Rafael Leao - Olivier Giroud. (4-2-3-1)

Atalanta: Marco Carnesecchi - Giorgio Scalvini, Berat Djimsiti, Sead Kolasinac - Emil Holm, Marten de Roon, Ederson, Matteo Ruggeri - Teun Koopmeiners - Aleksei Miranchuk, Charles De Ketelaere. (3-4-1-2)

Spooky Express Betting Prediction

All in all, The Rossoneri are unbeaten in their last seven home games in Serie A (winning six of them), keeping four clean sheets during that sequence. However, Stefano Pioli's men have lost five matches in eight against teams in the Top 4 at the start of the matchday (winning two) - something we need to consider with one of the in-form teams coming to San Siro.

Atalanta, on the other hand, are now bidding to claim six consecutive top-flight wins for the first time since December 2021. Moreover, with the 1-1 draw at AS Roma on 7 January, La Dea are unbeaten in their first six games of the calendar year in Serie A - their best streak since 2003.

Gian Piero Gasperini's side have scored three or more goals in four of their last five Serie A matches, while AC Milan have been solid at home with just one defeat in their last nine matches at San Siro - their 2-1 loss to Atalanta in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals.

As in the previous two meetings this season, we expect another high-scoring affair between these two sides.

Spooky Express Free Play: Over 2.5 Goals -125 at Everygame for 7/10 Units

Return to Soccer Previews List