Atalanta vs Milan Preview:
Possible starting lineups:
Atalanta:
Berisha; Toloi, Djimsiti, Palomino; Hateboer, De Roon, Freuler, Castagne; Gomez; Ilicic, Duvan Zapata
Milan:
G. Donnarumma; Calabria, Musacchio, Romagnoli, Rodriguez; Kessie, Bakayoko, Paqueta; Suso, Piatek, Calhanoglu
Atalanta host Milan in the most interesting match of week 24. I think the match in Bergamo is classic six-pointer in the Champions League's battle. Atalanta are probably the most pleasant surprise in Serie A. They are sharing the fifth position with Roma and Lazio. All three sides have 38 points, one less than four-placed Milan. The victory in this match could see the Orobici climbing to the Top Four. Atalanta are arguably the most in-form team at the moment. They have four victories and just one draw on the last five league matches. Atalanta also managed to beat Juventusy in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals with 3:0. I believe the players confidence is very high at the moment. Last weekend Atalanta won 2:1 against SPAL thanks to the goals scored by Jospi Ilicic and Duvan Zapata. The later is in excellent form and has 16 goals to his name. It has to be mentioned that 15 of those 16 goals came in his last 10 league matches. Josip Ilicic is the second-best scorer in the team with seven. The hosts will try to continue their winning series. Coach Gian Piero Gasperini has no important missing players, only Berat Djimsiti is rated as doubtful. The usual trio of Papu Gomez, Josip Ilicic and Duvan Zapata are expected to lead the attack.
Milan are fighting for a Champions League spot, just as Atalanta. The Rossoneri are in very good form as they are unbeaten in the league in 2019. Milan have three wins and two draws in their last five fixtures in all competitions since the beginning of the year. They beat Genoa, Napoli (Coppa Italia) and Cagaliari, while shared the points with Napoli (Serie A) at home and Roma at Olimpico. Last weekend Milan won 3:0 against Cagliari. January signings Lucas Paquetá and Krzysztof Piatek have both scored in that match. The atmosphere in the squad is positive, while the players confidence is high. Coach Gennaro Gattuso is doing a solid job and I believe the fans are satisfied. He will try to continue the positive series, though he has some injury issues. Cristian Zapata, who is the cousin of Atalanta striker Duvan, is sidelined due to an injury. In addition, Mattia Caldara, Giacomo Bonaventura and Ivan Strinic are also out injured. On the positive note, Lucas Biglia is back in the squad. The Argentinian international has not played since his knee injury in October, but has slowly been reintroduced to training sessions. Andrea Conti is eager to start against his former club, although Davide Calabria is tipped to start at right-back position.
Atalanta vs Milan Prediction:
According to me, Atalanta are closer to the victory here. Their attacking trio of Papu Gomez, Josip Ilicic and Duvan Zapata have scored 28 goals between them. They look unstoppable at the moment. Atalanta have scored at least two goals against Juventus twice already this season and three against Roma last month. The home advantage is also a reason for my pick.
Atalanta vs Milan Pick: Home win @ 2.02 with
Pinnacle