Sergio Conceicao’s future was called into question only a few weeks ago as AC Milan, who face Atalanta this weekend, had a dismal run that more or less threw the top four dreams in the bin. Having fought to secure a late point against fellow rivals Fiorentina, the Rossoneri came out of the blocks to defeat Udinese 4-0 reverse away from home.
While the result does provide some reprieve from the relentless pressure from Conceicao, he will only possibly secure his role at San Siro if his team can climb up the table and into the top four. Milan are still eight points adrift of fourth-placed Juventus, and with Spain and England getting the five slots each for the Champions League, the Serie A teams will have to fight for four spots.
Now onto their upcoming clash with Atalanta, this is just the second time that the Rossoneri are meeting the Bergamo giants while being ten or more points adrift. They are also winless against them in their last three Serie A meetings, as Milan must overcome this problem and get a grip on this particular rivalry.
Meanwhile, Gian Piero Gasperini’s time at the helm at Atalanta has also been called into question. Once again, they are in a season where they could have achieved so much more but are about to end with practically nothing, as they will have to keep hold of a top-four place to add some level of gloss to an otherwise dismal season.
Recently, Atalanta were well within distance from top two sides Inter Milan and Napoli, but a period in which they went three games without scoring ended their title challenge. The Bergamo side are currently seven points off second-placed Napoli, and with only six games left in the league season, there’s not a chance they come back to the big table at the very top.
The other worry is to keep their third place intact, as Atalanta are closely pursued by Juventus, Bologna and the Rome clubs for a top-four finish. Gasperini will ideally want to take some momentum from the win over Bologna last weekend, and put in another big performance against Milan, as they are also a top-performing side away from home in the top five leagues, with only Liverpool, PSG and Barcelona performing better.
Sergio Conceicao utilised a back three against Udinese and it worked wonders for his team, as the Portuguese manager might deploy the system again when facing Atalanta. The big worry would be the availability of goalkeeper Mike Maignan after his head injury against Udinese.
Protocols prevented the Frenchman from part taking in training, and if the rules allow, he should start in goal against Atalanta. Kyle Walker, Emerson Royal and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are the other absentees in the squad, while there are doubts about Santiago Gimenez’s fitness to start the game having returned to training after a recent issue.
With the two right-backs out of the equation, it makes more sense for Conceico to go with a back three, as Fikayo Tomori, Matteo Gabbia and Strahinja Pavlovic are likely to start at the back.
Alex Jimenez and Theo Hernandez are set to start in the wing-back roles, with Youssouf Fofana and the in-form Tijjani Reijnders pairing up in central midfield. Christian Pulisic and Rafael Leao could support Luka Jovic in the front three, as the latter could edge Tammy Abraham to start in the No.9 role.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Maignan; Tomori, Gabbia, Pavlovic; Jimenez, Fofana, Reijnders, Hernandez; Pulisic, Jovic, Leao
Gian Piero Gasperini must deal with his share of injury issues as key defender Sead Kolasinac was ruled out for several months after rupturing his ACL last week. He joins fellow long-term absentees Gianluca Scamacca and Giorgio Scalvini on the sidelines. Charles De Ketelaere also misses out with a thigh problem as Marco Palestra and Stefan Posch are the other stars not expected to make the game.
Gasperini could deploy Rafael Toloi as Kolasinac’s replacement in the back three, and the experienced defender he will partner up with Isak Hien and Berat Djimsiti. Juan Cuadrado will occupy the wing-back slot on the right flank, with Davide Zappacosta featuring on the other flank.
Mario Pasalic should ideally feature in the role vacated by De Ketelaere behind the strikers, while Ederson and Marten De Roon manage the central midfield spots. Serie A top scorer Mateo Retegui will join Ademola Lookman in leading the line for Atalanta against AC Milan.
Probable Lineup (3-4-1-2): Carnesecchi; Toloi, Hien, Djimsiti; Cuadrado, De Roon, ederson, Zappacosta; Pasalic; Lookman, Retegui
The Italian international is having his best season to date in Serie A and is on course to win the Capocannoniere. He is currently on 23 goals after a brilliant performance against Bologna where he produced a goal and an assist to end Atalanta’s three-game run without a goal.
He will be the man the watch in the upcoming game against Milan, as he will want to race away with the Capocannoniere accolade and help his team retain the third-placed spot. Milan’s defence could be troubled by the Italian international’s presence as he could be the difference between a win for Atalanta or a loss.
AC Milan have only gained some momentum after their stellar victory over Udinese, but will that be enough to put up a fight against Atalanta? The Rossoneri do not have a good recent record against Atalanta, and that could play a role in determining which direction this fixture goes.
Atalanta have been through a rough patch in their season that has cost them a shot at the Serie A title. However, their performance against Bologna did bring some hope that they can keep hold of their current place. While taking into account their overall away form, it is not outrageous to predict a win at San Siro albeit with a narrow margin. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 victory for Gian Piero Gasperini and his charges.
