Atalanta host AC Milan in Serie A on Sunday with both teams looking to build on wins from the opening weekend.
Atalanta have found things difficult in the last two seasons and missed out on Europe last term after an 8th placed finish. They will be looking to put all of that behind them and at least put up a much better battle for the European places.
The Bergamo club have made a solid start to their campaign this season, claiming a 2-0 victory over Sampdoria thanks to goals from Rafael Toloi and Ademola Lookman. That result was an extension of a fine preseason campaign where they scored 18 goals in four friendly matches.
For all of Atalanta’s attacking prowess, one of their major problems last season was failing to make their home games count. They only won four times at home last term and are currently on a six-match winless run in front of their fans.
AC Milan got their title defence off to a fine start as they claimed a 4-2 victory over Udinese in their opening fixture. They fought back from a goal down with Ante Rebic netting a brace while Theo Hernandez and Brahim Diaz were also on target.
The performance shows AC Milan still have a good momentum from the back end of last season as they are currently on a seven-match winning run in Serie A.
While AC Milan are looking impressive going forward, one problem that may need attention is their vulnerable backline. They kept just two clean sheets in six preseason matches while the two goals conceded last time out against Udinese shows a weakness team like Atalanta can exploit.
How the bookies view it
AC Milan have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 19/12 by SBK to claim the win. A victory for Atalanta is valued at 35/19 by SBK while a draw is set at odds of 5/2 by William Hill.
Head to head
AC Milan have won the last three meetings with Atalanta and did the double over their rivals last season with the clash at Gewiss Stadium ending 3-2. The Rossoneri have also suffered just one defeat in Bergamo since 2016, claiming three wins from the last four matches.
Players to watch
Duvan Zapata and Luis Muriel boast one of the best strike partnerships in Serie A, although both men had quiet outings last time out.
With three goals in his last five matches against AC Milan, Zapata could be backed at 19/10 with Betfred to score anytime while Muriel could also be worth keeping an eye on at 41/20 with Unibet.
After enduring an injury hit campaign last season, Ante Rebic looked sharp in the opening fixture and marked his performance with a brace. The striker will be the one to watch for AC Milan and is priced at 5/2 by Betfred to get on the score sheet.
Anything else catch the eye?
Neither team has been convincing at the back and having produced over 3.5 goals in the last meeting in Bergamo, a similar outcome could be on the cards at 19/10 with BetVictor. Both teams also scored in the second half last time out at the Gewiss Stadium and could be set for a repeat at 15/8 with Paddy Power.
AC Milan have grabbed the opening goal in the last three meetings with Atalanta and could be tipped to score first on Sunday at 19/20 with Coral.
This Serie A match between Atalanta and AC Milan will be played on Aug 21, 2022 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Atalanta vs AC Milan prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
