A couple of hot teams, one hotter than the other (not us), clash in one of the biggest games of the season to this point. There’s a lot at stake, more so for Milan, but both teams will have a lot to gain by bringing home all 3 points. The buckle in, this promises to be a ride!
MATCHDAY:
LAST FIVE
ATALANTA: WWWWW
MILAN: WWWDD
FORMATIONS
ATALANTA (3-4-1-2): Carnesecchi; Djimsiti, Hien, Kolasinac; Bellanova, Éderson, de Roon (C), Ruggeri; Pasalic: De Ketelaere, Lookman
MILAN (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Royal, Gabbia, Thiaw, Hernández (C); Fofana, Reijnders; Musah, Pulisic, Leão; Morata
TIME/LOCATION
TIME: 2:45pm EST/7:45pm GMT
PLACE: Gewiss Stadium, Bergamo
WHERE TO WATCH:
Paramount+ and FuboTV here in the US of Aye (Spanish broadcast on Fox Deportes in the US); FuboTV and TLN for Canada; TNT in the UK (maybe?); ESPN for Mexico; DAZN for Germany, Austria, Switzerland; a website called GXR for our friends in India; and illegal streams that support dictators and oligarchs everywhere.
*Let us know if this needs updating or if you have additional broadcasters to add*
WHAT TO WATCH FOR:
This is going to be a test to say the least. Atalanta have been red hot. How hot? The haven’t lost since September 24th at home to Como. That’s 9 league games unbeaten and 8 wins in a row during that stretch. Overall, since the Como game they are undefeated across all competitions, going 11-2-0 during this stretch.
What does all this mean? It means they’re DUE for a loss. Yeah! Ok, I honestly don’t know if Milan is going to be that time to snap this undefeated streak but Milan look about as well as they have all season and Fonseca is fielding what I think is one of their best lineups. All the usual guys who should be playing, are, and I even like Musah at RW with Pulisic next to him if you wanted a little more cover and defensive help (this was the exact same lineup vs Empoli).
With the firepower in the right positions, I hope Musah will end up providing a little more defensive cover and allow Reijnders to get forward more. As we all know, Reijnders is in his best form right now since joining Milan and if we see more of his well-timed runs and movement in the box (along with Musah hanging back) then Milan can attack with authority and maybe not get killed on the counter like they have at times this season. When Musah does get up the pitch, I want him wide and drilling in some crosses.
Defensively, I like the CB pairing although I may have gone with Tomori paired with Gabbia or Thiaw just to have a little more speed. Hopefully Royal will provide some of that especially with Lookman on his side. Either way, Atalanta lead the league in scoring so expect Milan to be under duress for large chunks of this game.
As for Atalanta, with Retegui sitting and Pasalic starting, it looks like Atalanta are going for the maximum ex-Milan player curse (on top of being able to bring on the league’s top scorer in Retegui from the bench). De Ketelaere, more than Pasalic, will surely be looking to continue making his presence felt against his old team. The kid has come good and I know I wish Milan had held onto him.
Finally, I’m bummed Gasperini won’t be on the bench, as he was suspended for 2 games for insults at the 4th official during Atalanta’s 3-1 win over Parma on November 23rd. I like my opponents at full strength, especially the better teams. No excuses for the other team and their fans…
Prediction time! I’m going with a back and forth game, with each team controlling parts of it. Both teams will have lots of opportunities and we’re likely going to see plenty of goals. I don’t know that I can pick one outcome but I see something like a 2-2 draw or a 3-2 win going either way. It’s going to be fun so buckle in!
Michael Lisi says: I have no doubt in my mind that we step up and win today. Definitely jump on multiple Reijnders shots and 1 on target for sure. Expect Milan to sit and counter and capitalize. Leão to score or assist for sure. Milan wins 2-1.
The lineup looks good…arguably my biggest concern pre-kickoff. With that concern put to rest, let’s do this!
Forza Milan
gillis
**Don’t forget to check out Lisi’s Weekend Whip Around: Round 15!