Preview and Prediction
The most anticipated match on giornata thirty sixth is the face-off between two teams with the most impressive form since the restart, AC Milan and Atalanta. Both teams are looking for their next win to secure their current position. Rossonero is on the sixth while Atalanta is on the third in the standings. The victory is also vital to put more pressure on their nearby contenders, AS Roma and Juventus.
The teams’ previous matches
Milan carried on their positive form while meeting Sassuolo, one of the dark horses this season. They dismantled Domenico Berarrdi and Co 2-1 by Ibrahimovic’s brace. Sassuolo could only respond once by Francesco Caputo’s penalty. In spite of dominating the game, Stefano Pioli’s men failed to extend their lead.
Atalanta were fairly in the same situation as their opponent. Bologna almost frustrated them by their solid defense and the good form of Lukasz Skorupski plus the expulsion of their coach, Gian Gasperini. Yet, the duo Colombians, Duvan Zapata and Luis Muriel, finally helped them find the way to snatch three points by the latter’s goal taking advantage of Zapata’s assist.
Possible tactic
Stefano Pioli tends to deploy 4-4-1-1 to accommodate their senior star, Ibrahimovic plus the other key men on the pitch. Luckily, Ante Rebic and Hakan Calhanoglu are quite versatile, which could improve Milan’s form too along with the Swedish giant arrival. However, a number of players are still injured and have to sit out for this fixture, including Samuel Castillejo, Alessio Romagnoli and Mateo Musacchio.
His counterpart, also former Genoa boss with the brief spell in Inter, Gian Gasperini always employs the fluid 3-4-3 with the transition to 3-4-2-1 or 3-4-1-2. He counts on the physical game and versatility in their players. It has been Atalanta’s trademark and such may lead to unexpected starting IX. Yet, with the injury of Josip Illicic, the Colombian duo are likely to earn the place in the line up.
Players to watch
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is inevitably one of the key figures in Milan’s revival on the second half of the season. He has scored seven goals and made four assists so far. Another notable ones are Theo Hernandez, Simon Kjaer and the Belgian youngster, Alexis Saelemaekers, who has done well in taking over Samuel Castillejo’s position.
In Atalanta, Luis Muriel and Duvan Zapata have been the main scorer after Josip Illicic’s absence. Both Colombian forwards have netted thirty five goals and provided seven assists altogether. Another notable man to watch is the goalie Pierluigi Gollini.
Milan vs Atalanta Prediction
Rossonero have a hidden agenda to accomplish in this fixture. Besides attempting to end Atalanta’s unbeaten run, they plan to revenge their loss in the first leg when they were humiliated by Gasperini’s men 0-5. Only a big win could erase such hurtful loss in their memory. Nevertheless, Atalanta’s solid form might not let that happen. A draw seems fair for them.
Betting odds
The punters seem to stick to the home side as the favourite. They are projected to win at 2/1, whereas Atalanta’s win market is only at 15/13. The odds for the draw result are at the value of 16/5.