After failing to beat Cagliari at San Siro, Milan now (most likely) need to beat Atalanta in order to secure their spot in the Champions League. It won’t be an easy task for the Rossoneri but they can certainly do it.
Atalanta have already secured a top-four finish and will thus be playing for second place, as winning wouldn’t just mean UCL for Milan, but also a second-place finish. It’s a big game for both sides, in other words.
In an interview with today’s edition of Gazzetta Dello Sport, as cited by MilanNews, former Milan man Riccardo Montolivo spoke about the game. He revealed what his former side must do in order to beat the Bergamo team.
“Atalanta have a clear philosophy, which sets them apart. They know how to play and they can put anyone in trouble. They have already qualified and maybe they won’t play at 100%, but for Milan, it will be a very complicated match.
“I don’t see a broken Atalanta after the cup defeat. Basically, I would say that for Milan, it would have been better to find an opponent on the wings of enthusiasm. The mission would have been easier. Milan must think of themselves, rediscover the compactness and conviction they lacked with Cagliari.
“If I were Pioli. I would look at the previous matches and not the last one. Prediction? I’ll say 1-2 for Milan. The sentence is this: Atalanta have already made it, Milan will return to where they belong,” he concluded.
Provided that Juventus and Napoli beat Bologna and Verona respectively, then Milan have to win their game. Of course, they could be given some help but it seems very unlikely, which is why the focus must be on getting the win.
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