ATALANTA v AC MILAN: MATCH PREVIEW

Meetings between Atalanta and AC Milan have often been an important crossroads for both clubs in recent seasons. Matchday 15 of Serie A 2023/24 will surely be no different. Stefano Pioli's side are staying within the borders of Lombardy this weekend as they travel to Bergamo with two wins from their last two league matches under their belts. A third victory on the spin would be huge, both in terms of morale and the standings. Kick-off is at 18:00 CET at the Gewiss Stadium; let's get ready for the showdown with our Match Preview.

LATEST FROM MILANELLO
As outlined by the boss in his pre-match press conference, AC Milan are looking to build form and are going into this one following a full week of hard work, having not had any midweek matches to contend with. Olivier Giroud returns from a two-match suspension and is ready to reclaim a starting berth in the Rossoneri's front three. He should be flanked by wingers Chukwueze and Pulisic. AC Milan also look set to go with an unchanged back four: Calabria and Florenzi at full-back and the unusual - but remarkably decisive against the Gialloblù - centre-back pairing of Tomori and Hernández. No rotation in midfield either, with Musah (the only one cautioned) and Reijnders set to start, while Loftus-Cheek could play further up the pitch.

"There's still a lot of football to be played before everything is decided, but we do need to put together a run of results in Serie A," Stefano Pioli said yesterday. "It's our objective and, tomorrow, we have a great chance to do just that. We'll be facing a complete side, which has quality, a big presence, intensity and midfielders who can chip in with a few goals. We know that they have it in them to come at us with aggression; we'll have to adapt to evade their press. We'll need to put in a top performance if we're to come away with all three points".

LATEST FROM ATALANTA
While dazzling in the Europa League, La Dea have had a stuttering start in Serie A. Gasperini's side are without a win in the league since 30 October and, like AC Milan, have many absences in defence. After picking up a knock against Torino last weekend, Djimsiti - who is a doubt to start - will try to be ready to play in a defence that will have to deal with injuries to Kolašinac, Palomino and Tolói. Their usual back three could become a makeshift four, with the reserves set to be chosen in the lead-up to kick-off. With Scamacca and Tourè also out, the lone striker will be Lookman; the ex of the day, De Ketelaere, is touted to start in the support striker role, rather than Muriel.

"AC Milan have had some big absences too; they're getting some of those players back now," Gian Piero Gasperini said in his pre-match press conference. "Right now, we need to have even more focus and hunger. We have a big game at home, and we need to use our support as an energy boost, as AC Milan did in recent games. This is football, and we need to be the ones to turn it around. Pioli has always left his mark, results speak for him."

PRE-MATCH STATS

• This is the 125th Serie A meeting between Atalanta and AC Milan. The Rossoneri lead the head-to-head with 55 wins to the Nerazzurri's 25 (44 draws). There has only been one training in the last seven games between the two, and that was in the most recent meeting in Bergamo, on 21 August 2022.
• The Rossoneri are unbeaten in their last five Serie A matches against Atalanta: it's the longest run between the two since the one between 2008 and 2012 - six games in that case. Furthermore, AC Milan have avoided defeat (W3, D3) in six of their last seven league games in Bergamo against Gasperini's Atalanta.
• Pioli's side could win two consecutive games without conceding a goal against Atalanta for the first time since the games in January 2013 and January 2014. In addition, with a win, AC Milan (unbeaten in their last seven league games not played at San Siro) would reach 4,400 total points in Serie A.
• Olivier Giroud, who is available again after serving a two-match ban, has scored five goals in his first six away league matches this season, behind only Lautaro Martínez in Serie A this season. The French striker has played 160 minutes in the league against Atalanta, the second-most of any team against whom he has not scored a Serie A goal.

WHERE TO WATCH ATALANTA v AC MILAN
In Italy, the match will be broadcast by DAZN. To watch Atalanta v AC Milan in a different country, you can consult the "AC Milan on TV" webpage, by clicking on the heading "Abroad". On the Rossoneri channels, Milan TV will provide live matchday coverage starting from 17:00 CET and continuing up until shortly before kick-off. After full-time, there will be interviews and Coach Pioli's press conference. From 17:55 CET, there will also be our Live Reaction show on our Twitch channel. Also, not to be missed is the coverage on acmilan.com, the AC Milan Official App and our official social media profiles.

LATEST FROM SERIE A
The 40-year-old Federico La Penna will take charge of the game at the Gewiss Stadium. The Roman referee will officiate a match involving the Rossoneri for the second time this season - following Cagliari 1-3 AC Milan on 27 September - and seventh overall. AC Milan's record with La Penna as referee is three wins, two draws and one defeat. His assistants will be Imperiale and Vecchi, while Sacchi is the designated fourth official. Marini is on VAR duty (Di Martino AVAR).

Serie A matchday 15 kicked off yesterday with the big match of the round: Juventus 1-0 Napoli. The action on Saturday starts with Hellas Verona v Lazio at 15:00 CET, followed by our game against Atalanta at 18:00 CET and then Inter v Udinese at 20:45 CET. Frosinone v Torino (12:30 CET) gets Sunday's fixtures underway ahead of Monza v Genoa (15:00 CET), Salernitana v Bologna (18:00 CET) and Roma v Fiorentina (20:45 CET). Monday night's matches are Empoli v Lecce (18:00 CET) and Cagliari v Sassuolo (20:45 CET).

Here are the current standings: Juventus* 36; Inter 35; Milan 29; Roma and Napoli* 24; Fiorentina 23; Bologna 22; Atalanta and Lazio 20; Torino 19; Monza and Frosinone 18; Lecce 16; Genoa and Sassuolo 15; Udinese 12; Empoli 11; Hellas Verona and Cagliari 10; Salernitana 8. (* = one match more played)

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