Matchday 15 of the 2024/25 Serie A season will include Atalanta welcoming AC Milan on Friday evening at the Gewiss Stadium.
The hosts have enjoyed a tremendous season so far with 31 points from 14 games. Milan, on the other hand, is making its way back to the top of Italian football and is currently sitting in the seventh spot.
Both sides have scored 15 goals in their respective last five matches, highlighting their attacking prowess. The Atalanta vs AC Milan fixture has produced some classic matches over the years and this time should be no different.
Few clubs in Europe can make a case to possess a better form currently than Atalanta. The club is unbeaten in 13 matches and is on an eight-match winning streak.
Gian Piero Gasperini has not lost his magical touch and has his side operating at the highest level. Atalanta is playing its trademark attacking and high-risk type of football. The side has been awarded the most penalties this season in Serie A (four).
The decision of AC Milan’s board to stick with Paulo Fonseca despite the shaky start to the season is starting to pay dividends now. Milan will be content with how the recent matches have played out. In the last six games, the club has managed four victories and two draws, including a 3-1 triumph over Real Madrid in the Champions League.
The hope for silverware this season might be far stretched but Fonseca will be aware that the positives from this season will set the base for the objectives of the upcoming campaigns.
Atalanta Football Club had done an impressive job of staying in touch with Napoli at the summit despite the recurring injury woes. At the moment, Davide Zappacosta and Gianluca Scamacca are the names on the injury list. The Italian striker was an unfortunate victim of an ACL injury and will find it difficult to return before the season ends.
In the last five meetings between the two clubs, the hosts and the visitors have won two and one matches respectively with two contests also ending in draws.
Milan’s success and pitch results depend massively on Rafael Leao’s form. The Portuguese is one of the most lethal and explosive left-wingers in football. He has already accumulated five goals and four assists this season and his game is much more than statistics.
Leao has struggled due to inconsistencies in recent seasons but at the top of his game, he is a game-changer in his own right. Rafael Leao will be required to exploit the Atalanta high line and help his side to a victory.
