Sarri Praises Atalanta's Progress Ahead of Milan Clash
Maurizio Sarri is pleased with the progress Atalanta have shown in recent matches and aims to keep that momentum going in their Serie A meeting with Milan.
Maurizio Sarri is pleased with the progress Atalanta have shown in recent matches and aims to keep that momentum going in their Serie A meeting with Milan.
After three consecutive defeats in the Italian league, Atalanta ended their poor run with a 3-1 win over Venezia last weekend, but they remain in mid-table.
The Nerazzurri followed that win by beating Pafos 3-1 in the Conference League, with Eljif Elmas scoring in the very first minute.
Seeking back-to-back league wins for the first time since the opening two weeks of the season, experienced coach Sarri has faith in his team's potential.
Speaking about the team's form, Sarri said: "We started the match very well against Pafos. Unlike the Venezia game, where we created a lot of chances but looked disorganised, we made better decisions about when to play vertically and when to keep possession. Until the late goal we conceded, we gave the opposition almost no chances. We have found a way to be more dangerous in attack; now we need more balance and solidity. This club is a model for everyone; I had never encountered an environment like this in my career. Of course, a completely different style of football was adopted for years, but the players are working very hard. I hope there is serious room for them to improve. It is hard to predict what we can achieve in our first year, but we have set medium- and long-term goals."
Atalanta's opponents Milan remain unbeaten in Serie A with 12 points from three wins and three draws.
The Rossoneri, who dropped points in their last league match with a 1-1 draw against Sassuolo, took confidence from a 4-0 win over Salzburg in Europe, just as Atalanta did.
Milan head coach Ruben Amorim is aiming to rediscover the winning habit in Serie A. If Amorim takes a point from this match, he will become the third manager in the club's history to go unbeaten in his first seven league games in charge, and the first since Luis Carniglia in 1963 (4W 3D).
PLAYERS TO WATCH
AC Milan – Adrien Rabiot Following his assist against Lazio and goals against Lecce and Sassuolo, Rabiot has the chance to provide at least one direct goal contribution in four consecutive matches for the first time in his career in Europe's big five leagues. The last midfielder to do so for Milan in Serie A was Hakan Çalhanoğlu in December 2020.
Atalanta – Nikola Krstovic Nikola Krstovic, who was directly involved in all three of Atalanta's goals with two goals and an assist in the last league match against Venezia, matched in a single 90 minutes the output he had produced in his previous 11 league games. The 26-year-old striker has only once in his Serie A career been directly involved in more than one goal in two consecutive matches.