Date: October 3, 2021
Time: 20:45 CET
Atalanta’s brutal stretch before the international break is close, but a huge break still looms large for the boys in black and blue. AC Milan has picked up where it left off last year, comfortably placed in the top four before October’s international break commences. Depending on how this week’s matches end Atalanta could still climb into the top four, but Gasperini’s men will need to put in a thorough and well-rounded performance.
Milan come into this match after losing in heartbreaking fashion to Atletico Madrid midweek in the Champion’s League. Nearly fending off the Spanish team a man down, Milan look disciplined at the back – and will be even more so with the expected return of Simon Kjaer. Atalanta has still failed to score more than three goals in a match this season, and dissecting the Tomori and Kjaer duo will be Atalanta’s ticket to putting away multiple goals. This year Milan has not given up more than 1 goal in any Serie A game; and even if its opposition has necessarily been the strongest – although Lazio and Juventus were on Milan’s slate already – its an impressive feat after six league matches.
Player to Watch- Brahim Diaz
While the defense has been rock solid for Milan, the victories have come thanks to the club’s Spanish attacking midfielder. Brahim Diaz is back in Milan on his second loan from Real Madrid, and he has been the main source of the Rossoneri’s offensive flow this year. Brahim has already put away three goals and collected an assist this year and has been as close to as flawless a passer as one can expected from an attacking midfielder. He’s nearly impossible to get off the ball, and he is equally dangerous with both feet. De Roon and Freuler will have to be on point to ensure that Brahim is not able to unlock Ante Rebic and Rafael Leao, who have been quite capable in Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s absence.
Atalanta’s Projected Starting XI
Atalanta is facing plenty of injury concerns this week, mainly on the backline. Robin Gosens is most certainly out, after picking up a muscle injury against Young Boys that should leave him out of the lineup for at least a month. In addition, all of Jose Luis Palomino, Merih Demiral, and Rafael Toloi all had their injury doubts. However, Atalanta has listed all of them this week’s lineups, so its likely that they are fit to feature this week. If anyone of the back three rotation cannot feature, it may be a good opportunity to get Matteo Lovato his first start as an Atalantino. Lovato has only seen eight match minutes this year, even less than Sam Lammers who isn’t even with the club. Milan may not be the best match to integrate the young Italian into the rotation, but it may be baptism by fire for him if he’s thrust into a starting position by necessity.
Up front Duván Zapata has been ridden very hard in Luis Muriel’s absence. Muriel came back and looked very good against Young Boys, but its doubtful that Atalanta’s #9 will get the start as he continues to ramp up after his injury. Everything else will be pretty standard for Atalanta. Ruslan Malinovskyi and Matteo Pessina look cemented into the starting lineup, and Marten de Roon and Remo Freuler have settled back into their midfield roles. Teun Koopmeiners deserves another start very soon, but he could serve as an even better spark off the bench if Atalanta needs a shot in the arm off the bench.
Other Atalanta Odds and Ends
Atalanta has not scored more than two goals in eight games this season. The last time Atalanta had such a long streak was last year from October 31st to December 9th.
In Atalanta’s next eight matches after its last goal scoring drought, La Dea put away twenty five total goals.
Ruslan Malinovskyi has already created 29 shot creating actions this year in Serie A – first in Serie A (tied with Lorenzo Insigne). Like always, Atalanta’s offense will only go as far as the Ukrainian takes it.
Matteo Pessina has now scored in the Coppa Italia, Serie A, and the Champion’s League for Atalanta – a huge achievement for the 24 year old midfielder!
Sunday will be one of Atalanta’s biggest tests from a depth perspective. With the international break coming up next week, Atalanta can end its most difficult patch of the year on a high note. Confronting Champion’s League football, plus a difficult Serie A stretch that saw La Dea face both Milan teams in back to back weeks is no easy feat. Last year’s Atalanta team may have struggled to cope with the fixture congestion, but Atalanta’s depth this year has made a real difference. Especially in the midfield. While Teun Koopmeiners has only started once, his presence simply brings calmness – just knowing he’s there to be a reinforcement. But perhaps the biggest blessing has been Davide Zappacosta. Seemingly only brought into the fold to fill in during Hans Hateboer’s injury, Zappacosta has become an instant starter and makes the absence of Robin Gosens feel less daunting. Imagine missing Gosens this time last year!
Great teams overcome stretches of injury troubles and fixture congestion wanting more, rather than simply limping through the calendar. Its time to see if Atalanta can continue climbing that ladder that separates the good from the great teams. As always, Forza Dea!!!
