The stage is set for a mouth-watering Serie A showdown between last season’s underachievers Atalanta and defending champions Milan. The Gewiss Stadium forms the backdrop for arguably the most exciting fixture on matchday two.
After three third-place Serie A finishes on the trot, Atalanta had to settle for an underwhelming eighth place last season. After their worst final rank under Gian Piero Gasperini’s tutelage, La Dea have emptied their pockets to assemble a competitive squad this summer.
Leicester City loanee Ademola Lookman was on the scoresheet as Atalanta claimed a morale-boosting 2-0 win at Sampdoria on the opening weekend. Gasperini’s men are on the verge of welcoming highly-rated full-back Brandon Soppy from Udinese.
It’s worth noting the Frenchman faced Milan a week ago as his former side suffered a 4-2 defeat at San Siro despite breaking the deadlock within two minutes. Ante Rebic, under heavy scrutiny for sub-par performances for most of last season, inspired Rossoneri’s comeback by finding the net on either side of halftime.
Charles De Ketelaere failed to make Stefano Pioli’s starting XI after arriving from Club Brugge in one of the longest-running transfer sagas of the summer. However, the Belgian tickled the imagination of Milan supporters during his cameo debut at San Siro, showing off some fancy footwork and playmaking skills.
Match Preview
Atalanta
It’s been a promising start to the season for Atalanta following an abysmal finish to the previous Serie A campaign. La Dea welcomed the summer break with their arms wind open after going winless in six successive home league outings down the final stretch of last season (D3, L3).
The path to redemption starts this weekend as they aim to defy their poor six-game home league form against Milan (W1, D2, L3). Indeed, Atalanta lost their last three Serie A games against the Rossoneri, having been undefeated in ten of the previous 11 (W6, D4).
But there’s still a reason for optimism in the home camp. The abovementioned triumph at Luigi Ferraris means Atalanta could start a new Serie A season with back-to-back victories for the fifth time in the club’s history, last achieving this feat in 2020/21.
Milan
Milan will be chasing a piece of history in Bergamo, aiming to beat Atalanta in four Serie A matches on the bounce for the first time in the 21st century. Memories of Theo Hernandez’s spectacular goal at San Siro in a 2-0 H2H win last season are still fresh as Pioli’s men head into proceedings in high spirits.
A come-from-behind victory over Udinese on the opening weekend has taken Rossoneri’s winning streak in Serie A to seven matches, their longest such run in Italy’s top flight since 2006. On top of that, Milan won a league-high 74% of their Serie A away fixtures last season (14/19), including three in a row to cap off a memorable campaign.
Pioli’s managerial reign at San Siro has seen Milan start a new Serie A campaign with a pair of wins every time. Signs are encouraging as the reigning Italian champions look to show last season’s stellar success was no fluke. What better place to prove it than in Bergamo?
Team News
Atalanta boss Gasperini cannot call upon the services of summer acquisition Ederson. There’s still a question mark over the heads of Davide Zappacosta and Merih Demiral, with both facing a race against time to make themselves available for selection.
As for Milan, talismanic striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic fancies a lengthy spell on the sidelines after knee surgery. The Swedish superstar may not be the only high-profile absence in the visiting camp. Pioli is still sweating over Sandro Tonali’s fitness after the Italian picked up a knock in pre-season.
Atalanta vs Milan Potential Line-ups
Atalanta (3-4-1-2): 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 (4-2-3-1): Mike Maignan; Pierre Kalulu, Theo Hernandez, Fikayo Tomori, Davide Calabria; Ismael Bennacer, Sandro Tonali; Alexis Saelemaekers, Brahim Diaz, Rafael Leao; Ante Rebic.