Atalanta vs AC Milan

The stakes are high as fierce Serie A rivals Atalanta and AC Milan go head-to-head at the Gewiss Stadium.

Atalanta’s pursuit of a first top-four Serie A finish in three years has taken a series of blows, with Gian Piero Gasperini’s out-of-form side losing three of their last four league outings (D1). Their ex-striker Duvan Zapata scored twice to help Torino topple them 3-0 earlier this week, throwing Gasperini’s future in Bergamo into doubt. Only four points clear of fourth-placed Roma at the start of this round, ‘La Dea’ must pick themselves up and try to reignite an impressive home form from the beginning of the season (W3, D1). However, they’ve lost their last two league matches at the Gewiss Stadium, going down to an identical 2-1 scoreline versus Inter Milan and Napoli. Atalanta’s struggles against high-profile opponents hardly bode well for their bid to defy a dismal seven-game H2H home form (W1, D3, L3).

In the meantime, Luka Jovic’s match-winning performance inspired Milan to a crucial 3-1 home win against promoted Frosinone last weekend, helping his team record back-to-back league victories for the first time since September/October. But it’s worth noting that both those triumphs came at home, with ‘I Rossoneri’ delivering a string of unimpressive displays across their last five road trips in all competitions (W1, D2, L2). Milan’s two most recent Serie A travels saw them spurn a 2-0 halftime lead in stomach-wrenching 2-2 draws against Napoli and Lecce, highlighting the importance of maintaining focus beyond the break. On the upside, Stefano Pioli’s lads have only lost once in their seven away league matches this season (W4, D2), falling to a 5-1 defeat to Inter at San Siro.