AC Milan host Atalanta on Sunday afternoon in a pivotal match in a race for the Scudetto. Milan are currently first in the Serie A table with 80 points and two matches to go. With this being said, city rivals Inter Milan are right behind the Rossoneri, holding 78 points. Inter will face easier competition on Sunday versus Cagliari, making the Atalanta match a must-win for Milan.
AC Milan Host Atalanta in Serie A
Team Form
Milan’s last three matches have gone quite well. This is important not only in the title race but the fact that before the last three matches Milan were trounced 3-0 by Inter in the Coppa Italia semi-finals.
The Rossoneri secured victory over Lazio with an extra-time winner by Sandro Tonali. Lazio is no easy opponent, as they are fifth in the league table. Afterwards, Milan beat Fiorentina 1-0 thanks to a goal from Rafael Leao. Finally, Milan beat Hellas Verona 3-1. Once again, it was all Tonali and Leao. Tonali scored two goals (and had another disallowed), while Leao assisted both. Alessandro Florenzi scored the third goal in his return from knee surgery as well.
Atalanta are currently eighth in the table, with 59 points in 36 matches. This is below their standards of the past couple of seasons as La Dea have been enjoying Champions League football. They’ll have plenty to play for, however, as they are still very much alive in the race for UEFA Conference League qualification.
Their last three matches have been okay at best. The first was a 4-4 draw with Torino. Atalanta were actually down 4-2 and willed a comeback in the last 15 minutes of the match. Then came a 1-1 draw with the relegation-battling Salernitana, before a strong 3-1 victory over Spezia.
Atalanta is no easy task, especially with players such as Duvan Zapata, Luis Muriel, and Marten de Roon expected to start.
Expected Formation for AC Milan
Milan and manager Stefano Pioli will use their typical 4-2-3-1 formation.
Mike Maignan will start in goal and continue his excellent season. He was crucial in the two wins versus Lazio and Fiorentina.
The defence will consist of Davide Calabria, Pierre Kalulu, Fikayo Tomori, and Theo Hernandez. Should one of the fullbacks struggle, Florenzi is back as an option.
Featuring in the midfield double-pivot will be Tonali and Ismael Bennacer. Tonali has been great all season long, but has especially starred in the last few matches as he’s doing everything possible to secure Milan’s 19th Scudetto.
The attacking front three behind the lone striker will feature the likes of Alexis Saelemaekers on the right, Franck Kessie in the middle, and Leao on the left. Saelemaekers has struggled this season, but recently reaffirmed his commitment to MilanTV. Kessie is set to depart Milan this summer but is still playing in place of the disappointing Brahim Diaz. Finally, Leao is the engine of this attack.
Giroud will feature as the lone striker. He’ll be facing stiff competition from Atalanta’s talented centre-backs, but Giroud’s experience may prove to be monumental in this high-stakes match.
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