AC Milan vs Atalanta prediction: ITALY: Serie A betting tips on match 2025-04-19 18:45.
[p]AC Milan have never played Atalanta in Serie A on Easter Sunday and both will be hoping the sense of occasion helps them raise their game. A 2-1 defeat in the reverse fixture last December puts the Rossoneri in danger of losing both league H2Hs to Atalanta for the first time since 2007/08, and points are critical for Sérgio Conceição’s men, who are still in danger of missing out on European qualification for next season via the league, although the upcoming Coppa Italia semi against Inter Milan presents an alternative path.[/p]
[p]With the first leg of that huge game coming just days after this Serie A fixture, Milan could be distracted in their bid to improve on a record of just one win in their last five competitive home games (D3, L1). Improving their defensive rate may play a big part in their revival, as the hosts have managed just one clean sheet in their last eight home league games, a huge drop compared to the six in seven such games immediately prior![/p]
[p]Atalanta last played Serie A football on Easter Sunday in 1978 when they lost to AC’s city rivals Inter Milan. A better result this time could be critical as their pre-round third place is under threat from Juventus, although the mood in the camp would have improved last weekend after a 2-0 win over Bologna that ended a run of three straight defeats without scoring. The Bergamo outfit achieved that win with only four shots, their joint-lowest in a single game of this league campaign, making the victory even sweeter.[/p]
[p]A 1-0 defeat at Fiorentina on their last away matchday ended Atalanata’s 12-game unbeaten run on the road in the league (W9, D3). That puts them in danger of losing two consecutive away league games for only the second time this season and ominously, the last time it happened was at this venue, when they lost to Inter![/p]
[p]Players to watch: Tijjani Reijnders scored Milan’s last goal in their win against Udinese, making it the eighth time out of nine Serie A goalscoring appearances that he registered their final strike. Mateo Retegui opened Atalanta’s scoring with a third-minute strike against Bologna, but his eight prior league goals were recorded across four away matches, including their opening goal in three of them.[/p]
[p]Hot stat: Only Bologna (17) had won more points from losing positions than Milan (16) and Atalanta (15) prior to this round.[/p]
[p]Written by Sridhar B[/p]