AC Milan v Atalanta: Serie A Matchweek 7 preview, injuries and predicted lineups
AC Milan will host Atalanta at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in Milan on Sunday, 18 October, in a Serie A Matchweek 7 fixture kicking off at 9:30 p.m. IST, with the two sides meeting in a game previewed ahead of the weekend.
AC Milan sit fifth in the Serie A standings with 3 wins and 3 draws from 6 games and remain unbeaten in the Italian top tier. Their most recent league outing finished 1-1 at home to Sassuolo, with Adrien Rabiot scoring in the 63rd minute before Odenthal levelled. The Rossoneri have drawn three of their last four Serie A matches and Ruben Amorim will be keen to convert draws into wins; Rabiot has three goals and two assists in six Serie A appearances this season.
Atalanta occupy tenth place with three wins and three defeats from six league matches and come into the fixture off a 3-1 victory over Venezia despite being reduced to ten men. Nikola Krstovic scored a brace in that game and Franck Kessie added the other goal. In all competitions Atalanta’s recent form reads W-W-L-L-L.
Maurizio Sarri is in charge of Atalanta and the preview notes he has previously led Chelsea, Juventus, Lazio and Napoli. Atalanta’s Italian goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi has been singled out for his form; apart from two keepers, no one has more clean sheets than Carnesecchi since the 2024-25 season in Italy. AC Milan’s form in all competitions is listed as W-D-W-L-D.
Gonçalo Ramos has contributed two goals and one assist in eight appearances for Amorim’s side this season and is highlighted as a key attacking threat. The preview describes Ramos as a two-time UEFA Champions League winner with Paris Saint-Germain and a former Benfica striker, calling him a modern centre forward who helps in defence and possesses strong finishing. He is expected to link up with teammates Christian Pulisic and Diego Moreira while facing Atalanta defenders Strahinja Pavlović, Koni De Winter and Mario Gila.
Franck Kessié is noted as an Ivorian midfielder who "has won La Liga with FC Barcelona, the AFC Champions League Elite with Al Ahli and Serie A with AC Milan before making a move to Lombardy with Atalanta." The piece calls Kessié a powerhouse box-to-box midfielder and defensive anchor who will be tasked with dominating midfield for Atalanta against Adrien Rabiot, and it records that Kessié scored in the last Serie A game versus Venezia. For Milan, the preview lists Pervis Estupiñán, Yunus Musah and Samuel Chukwueze among the non-European midfield options.
Injury and suspension absences are detailed: for Milan, Pietro Terracciano, Alexis Saelemaekers and Matteo Gabbia will be out; for Atalanta, Isak Hien, Thomas Pompei and Giorgio Scalvini are injured and Eljif Elmas picked up a red card in the last game. The projected lineups provided in the preview are: Mike Maignan (GK); Mario Gila, Koni De Winter, Strahinja Pavlović; Samuel Chukwueze, Yunus Musah, Adrien Rabiot, Pervis Estupiñán; Christian Pulisic, Diego Moreira; Gonçalo Ramos — and Marco Carnesecchi (GK); Davide Zappacosta, Sead Kolašinac, Rasmus Kristensen, Nicola Zalewski; Éderson, Franck Kessié; Jonathan Rowe, Charles De Ketelaere, Giacomo Raspadori; Nikola Krstović.
The preview concludes that, given Atalanta’s absentees, the home side are expected to take a narrow victory with Ramos predicted to score a brace and a final scoreline of AC Milan 2-1 Atalanta. The match will be played at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza (San Siro) in Milan, Italy, on Sunday, 18 October, at 9:30 p.m. IST and can be streamed on Zee5 and Unite8 Sports in India and on DAZN in the UK.