Atalanta vs AC Milan Prediction 09.12.2023

• Competition: Italy - Serie A
• Date: Saturday, 9th, December 2023
• Kickoff: 17:00 UTC / 18.00 CET
• Venue: Gewiss Stadium (Bergamo)

Struggling Atalanta aims to break free from their winless streak of four matches when they host Lombardy rival AC Milan at Gewiss Stadium on Saturday evening.

The Bergamaschi, who were consistent attendees of the Champions League from 2008 to 2021, are now facing a real threat of missing out on the top club competition for the third consecutive year, having finished outside the top four in the previous two campaigns. The demands of European competition, following their fifth-place finish in the previous season of the Italian top tier, seem to have disrupted Atalanta's recent domestic performance, with Gasperini noting his team's failure to secure a win in the last four Serie A matches. A paltry sum of just two points in this gloomy stretch has booted Atalanta from the UCL spots, relegating them to the 8th position with 20 points, trailing Roma by four in fourth place.

The winner of the 2021-22 Scudetto, who was plagued by numerous injury issues, dropped a substantial amount of points in the last four matches before the international break, casting a shadow over their impressive start to the 2023-24 campaign. Following a two-week hiatus, the Rossoneri made a strong return to Serie A, navigating through both league tests with victories—first edging out Fiorentina late with a 1-0 win and then effortlessly overcoming Frozinone in a 3-1 triumph. Coach Stefano Pioli's squad aims to bolster their confidence ahead of the decisive UCL clash with Newcastle through a demanding test in Bergamo, as they pursue Inter, who sit six points ahead of them at the top of the table.

Atalanta vs AC Milan Betting Tips: Draw

Since neither side has been radiating confidence on the field lately, it seems that sharing the spoils in the first Lombardy derby of the season would be a quite realistic outcome. The Bergamaschi are obviously out of rhythm in recent weeks, as their only victory in the last six matches across all competitions came against the Austrian side Sturm 1-0, while just one point taken from the past four SA fixtures looks disheartening for a club aiming to return to the biggest continental stage through a high league finish. Despite AC Milan's strong comeback after the 14-day international break with consecutive victories, it's crucial to bear in mind that they were statistically outperformed by both Fiorentina and Frosinone, indicating that these successes paint a misleading picture of the club's actual form. 

In addition, Stefano Pioli's men left a rather lackluster mark on recent travels, securing only a solitary victory in their last five away outings on all fronts, while experiencing the unfortunate trend of squandering two-goal leads in consecutive Serie A visits, settling for a meager two points in 2-2 draws against Scudetto holders Napoli and Lecce. Having already secured passage to the knockout stage of the Europa League as winners of Group D, Gasperini's La Dea can now fully shift their focus to the Lombardy derby, while the Rossoneri, on the contrary, do not have the luxury to neglect their European duties, as their fate will be decided next Wednesday when they visit Newcastle in a clash where the victor takes all. 

Considering that the Champions League holds absolute priority for them, and with Pioli's men having their thoughts set on the midweek visit to St James' Park, it might disrupt their plans for achieving success in Bergamo this Saturday. Furthermore, with Atalanta grappling with a spell of erratic results and seemingly lacking the ability to threaten their opponent, it is our belief that both Lombardian outfits would find satisfaction in sharing the spoils, echoing the outcome from the previous season at Gewiss Stadium when the contest between the two rivals ended in a 1-1 stalemate.