Serie A: Lookman’s Atalanta Face Milan Test For Top Spot

Ademola Lookman’s Atalanta will hope to continue beating the odds when they welcome AC Milan in Serie A on Friday, a clash that could see them move top and equal the club’s record winning streak.

Second-placed Atalanta kept up with their stellar campaign when they won 2-0 at AS Roma on Monday, extending their impressive winning run to eight league games.

That streak included a 3-0 win at leaders Napoli, whom they now trail by one point.

But a challenging start to December will continue for Gian Piero Gasperini’s side when they host the 19-time Italian champions Milan, four days before welcoming European Cup holders Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday.

If they manage to beat seventh-placed Milan, Atalanta will equal their longest, nine-game winning run in Serie A, a record set in 2020.

That feat would require them to overcome Milan in back-to-back home league games only for the second time, after they managed doing so between November 2006 and January 2008.

However, anything seems possible for in-form Atalanta, who have gathered 31 points after 14 games played for the first time since the introduction of ‘three-points-for-a-win’ era.

Milan, meanwhile, won only two of their last five Serie A games as they sit four points outside of the European spots with a game in hand.

Table-topping Napoli overcame their recent setbacks when they claimed a 1-0 home win over Roma on November 24, and maintained the momentum last weekend at Torino with the same scoreline.

The two victories came after Antonio Conte’s side suffered a 3-0 home defeat by Atalanta, followed by a 1-1 draw at Inter Milan earlier in November.

They can now prove they are fully back on track when they host fifth-placed Lazio on Sunday, three days after the duo face off in Coppa Italia last 16 in Rome.