Atalanta will face AC Milan on Friday evening in a highly anticipated Serie A matchup, with both teams boasting impressive attacking talent. While Atalanta’s head coach Gian Piero Gasperini will be absent from the sidelines due to a suspension, his team is nearly at full strength.
The home side will be without long-term absentee Gianluca Scamacca, who is still recovering from a serious knee injury. However, wing-back Davide Zappacosta is nearing a return from a muscular issue, potentially bolstering Atalanta’s options.
Serie A’s current top scorer, Mateo Retegui, is expected to lead Atalanta’s attack alongside Ademola Lookman and former Milan player Charles De Ketelaere. This trio has been instrumental in Atalanta’s offensive success this season.
Interestingly, this match will feature the four Serie A players with the most goal involvements across all competitions in 2024: De Ketelaere and Lookman (both with 30), and Milan’s Rafael Leao (28) and Christian Pulisic (27).
For Milan, Leao, who has scored all three of his league goals away from home this season, is likely to start alongside Pulisic and Samu Chukwueze. The latter impressed with a brace in Milan’s previous match. Up front, Paulo Fonseca may opt to start Alvaro Morata over Tammy Abraham, who featured in their last game against Sassuolo.
Milan’s squad is nearly complete, with only Ismael Bennacer, Alessandro Florenzi, and Luka Jovic unavailable. French internationals Mike Maignan and Theo Hernandez have returned to training, further strengthening Milan’s lineup.
Atalanta (3-4-2-1): Carnesecchi; Djimsiti, Hien, Kolasinac; Bellanova, Ederson, De Roon, Ruggeri; De Ketelaere, Lookman; Retegui
AC Milan (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Emerson, Gabbia, Thiaw, Hernandez; Fofana, Reijnders; Chukwueze, Pulisic, Leao; Morata
