Atalanta and AC Milan take on each other at the back of some disappointing results at the weekend, with both teams aiming to climb up the table.

Ivan Juric has a lot of work ahead of him to get Atalanta to their usual place near the top of the table heading into the game against AC Milan. Having endured a draw to Cremonese at the weekend, the Bergamo outfit are still the only unbeaten side in Serie A, although they are already being tagged as the draw specialists of the league.

Atalanta are far off the top four spots, and that is where Juric would want his side. The new boss has managed to bring about some level of stability that has seen the Bergamo outfit take up a pragmatic approach at times, but there needs to be massive improvements in the attacking departments to win games. They now host AC Milan, and a win could take them as close as two points to the Rossoneri.

Meanwhile, Massimiliano Allegri will have been disappointed with the way his side played at the weekend. The former title-winning The former title-winning manager has returned to San Siro, and there are some instant improvements to see in this Rossoneri side, particularly their defensive solidity.

The manager oversaw a good run earlier, but they have dropped points in two of their last three games. The latest of those came against Pisa SC, where they needed a late strike from Zachary Athekame to rescue a point at home.

Now AC Milan travel to Bergamo to take on Atalanta, against whom they have not won four of their last five fixtures, as a win here will be a big statement of intent from Allegri. A victory on Tuesday could help them retain their third spot, but potentially even go up if AS Roma or Napoli falter in the midweek ties.

Team News & Tactics

Atalanta

Ivan Juric’s injury list has shrunk over the last few weeks, with only Mitchel Bakker and Giorgio Scalvini out of contention as things stand. Sead Kolasinac is another with a problem for the long term, as the manager could be making a selection that allows him to field his strongest possible lineup against AC Milan.

In the last game, skipper Marten de Roon was preferred in the defence, but Juric could change that against Milan, as he could go with the selections of Berat Djimsiti, Isak Hien and Honest Ahanor in that back three. Ederson and de Roon could occupy the central midfield spots, although Mario Pasalic is also an option there.

Nicola Zalewski and Raoul Bellanova are the likely candidates for the wing-back roles, while Charles De Ketelaere and Ademola Lookman could support striker Gianluca Scamacca in the front line.

Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Carnesecchi; Djimsiti, Hien, Ahanor; Bellanova, Ederson, De Roon, Zalewski; De Ketelaere, Lookman; Scamacca

AC Milan

Massimiliano Allegri does have his share of key injuries to important players, as Christian Pulisic headlines that particular list at the moment. Adrien Rabiot and Ardon Jashari are the others who are sidelined with fitness issues, and the manager’s selection will involve the squad he has had over the last few weeks.

There are some doubts over Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s availability too, but currently, AC Milan have the options to replace those injured, and Allegri could go with a midfield of Youssouf Fofana, Samuele Ricci, and Luka Modric.

Alexis Saelemaekers and Davide Bartesaghi will feature in the wing-back roles. Christopher Nkunku and Rafael Leao are likely to be given the keys to lead the attack, and Allegri will hope for better returns moving forward.

Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Maignan; Tomori, Gabbia, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers, Fofana, Modric, Ricci, Bartesaghi; Nkunku, Leao

Key Stats

• Atalanta have drawn their last four matches in Serie A.
• Atalanta have won their last four games against AC Milan.
• AC Milan are also unbeaten in their last eight games, winning six and drawing two.
• AC Milan are winless in the last two games in Serie A.

Player to Watch

Christopher Nkunku

Embed from Getty Images

Nkunku was a big arrival in the summer, but he is yet to hit the ground running at AC Milan, and there are some games the manager would like the Frenchman to shine, and this clash with Atalanta is probably that. Nkunku has yet to open his account in Serie A so far, and the visit to Bergamo might be a good time to do so.

Massimiliano Allegri has tasked Nkunku with a different style in this Milan side, and he will take up more of a front two role in this team. How the Frenchman adapts to this new role remains to be seen, as this game against Atalanta will be a good test for the Frenchman.

Prediction

Atalanta 1-1 AC Milan

This is a battle of two teams who have been stubborn in the league so far, and this game has all the hallmarks of either an entertaining draw or a boring stalemate. Atalanta are still unbeaten in the league, something Juric will want to maintain ahead of Tuesday, and he might succeed.

Allegri, on the other hand, will want his side to get their bearings right and start mounting a challenge for the title. However, this game against Atalanta might not be ideal for their quest. While the Rossoneri could potentially get a win away from home, all things point to a potential share of the spoils.