Preview: Atalanta v Milan
The last meeting between these two sides had taken place at the San Siro and had ended the way it had started. But the previous five meetings between the rossoneri and La Dea have seen the latter enjoy a better run, winning twice and losing only once. And it certainly would not be a surprise to see Gasperini’s men come out on top again at the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia in Bergamo.
Atalanta currently have a six point lead over the men in red and black and a win would all but seal them a spot in next season’s Europa League.
Atalanta have dropped points in four of their previous five outings, but have not lost a single game, drawing four others. And the the draws against Juventus and Roma would be enough to prove that they are capable of holding their own against the bigger sides of the division.
The last time they lost a game was back in March and it was a 7-1 hammering at the hands of the rossoneri’s city rivals Inter, but La Dea have managed to hold onto hopes of qualifying for the top four since then. Conceding seven in a single game was a rarity for a side that boasts of the four best defensive record in the league, having let in more goals than only Juventus, Roma and Napoli.
Gasperini’s men would certainly make do with more goals and that would have helped them be in the top four already. The men from Lombardy have scored 59 times this season, seventh best in the league. And Alejandro Gomez, who has drawn links with Milan in the past few days, happens to Atalanta’s highest goalscorer with 14, while Juventus bound defender Mattia Caldara has racked up a surprising tally of seven.
Vincenzo Montella’s men, on the other hand, have scored only seven goals less than Atalanta and would themselves love to have another quality goalscorer in the ranks, apart from Carlos Bacca. The former Sevilla man has scored 13 times and adding someone like Gomez would enrich the tally.
Defensively, Milan have conceded just two more goals than Atalanta and consistent injuries to their backline have hindered the progress that they were making early in the season.
And speaking of injuries, Alessio Romagnoli and Davide Calabria are doubts to return to action, as they continue their recoveries from knee and muscle injuries respectively. Giacomo Bonaventura is back in training, but is won’t feature this season, much like Ignazio Abate. Montella will have to deal with the suspensions of Lucas Ocampos and Gabriel Paletta too. Leonel Vangioni and Luca Antonelli aren’t fully fit, meaning Gustavo Gomez could well start after as many as three months.
And the game at Bergamo could well see Riccardo Montolivo feature after a long time, as Sky Italia reported earlier this week that the Italian could be an option. If he does start though, it’ll be special occassion for someone who started off his career at Atalanta back in 1992.
Atalanta though, have a cleaner sheet of health bills heading into the game. Stefano Mazzini and Hans Hateboer have resumed training, while Franck Kessie is a doubt for the game after having recovered from a calf-injury, with Boukari Drame Abdoulay Konko still a week away from full fitness.
Predicted line-ups
Atalanta: Berisha, Toloi, Caldara, Masiello; Raimondi, Grassi, Cristante, Spinazzola; Kurtic, Gomez; Petagna
AC Milan: Donnarumma; De Sciglio, Zapata, Gomez, Romagnoli; Kucka, Montolivo, Sosa; Suso, Bacca, Deulofeu
Kaustubh Pandey