Ademola Lookman made some rather cryptic comments when asked if he was finally happy with Atalanta, while Mario Pasalic relished facing Luka Modric in a Milan shirt.

It was a relatively even match in Bergamo this evening, continuing the unbeaten streak for both sides, but also lacking in victories.

La Dea have now drawn five on the bounce in Serie A, while it was the second stalemate for the Rossoneri, who were held 2-2 by Pisa on Friday evening.

Samuele Ricci had opened the scoring, but it was cancelled out by the first goal Lookman has scored for Atalanta since his failed attempt to force an Inter transfer in the summer.

Lookman still not ready to say he’s happy with Atalanta

“It’s important to be available for the team, to help the team,” Lookman told DAZN Italia.

“I’ve not been able to find form yet, physically or in front of goal, but I’ll get there eventually and this was a step forward in the right direction. Hopefully in the coming games we’ll be able to get some wins.”

Although Lookman has made it abundantly clear he does not want to talk about the past or what happened in recent months, he was asked if this was the night that finally made him happy to be with Atalanta.

His response was somewhat cryptic and suggested the rapport with the club behind the scenes remains tense.

“I think that when I’m on the pitch, the most important thing is to try to help the team win. We want to keep climbing up the table and that’s the most important thing, to win football games.”

His goal celebration was at best muted, showing little excitement or emotion as his teammates crowded around him.

Pasalic was in the starting XI this evening in a more advanced trequartista role supporting the two strikers, Lookman and Charles De Ketelaere, and took the captain’s armband when Marten de Roon went off with an adductor issue.

“We played our game, as we have done largely this season other than the first half against Cremonese. We attacked, pressed high, unfortunately we can’t seem to get this win that would be the turning point,” Pasalic told DAZN Italia.

“We are creating chances, but to win we need to be more concrete upfront.”

Check the Football Italia Player Ratings for Atalanta 1-1 Milan

This is a new era under Ivan Juric after nine years of Gian Piero Gasperini, although they are aided by the fact Gasp was Juric’s mentor.

“I already knew the way the coach played, and those of us who have been here many years were already accustomed to this type of tactical work. He is asking for some different things and we are getting there.”

Tonight was an extra pleasure for Croatia international Pasalic, who got to face legend Modric, and even got the veteran booked for a shirt tug.

“It is always a joy to play against a star like Modric, few can play like this at age 40.”

Ivan Juric believes Atalanta ‘had triple the intensity of Milan and dominated throughout,’ so were left with more regrets after yet another stalemate.

Samuele Ricci had given Milan the early lead in Bergamo with a deflected strike, until Ademola Lookman blasted into the roof of the net for his first goal since the summer transfer drama.

Davide Zappacosta had the best opportunity to win the game late on, his effort denied by a flying Mike Maignan fingertip save.

Juric saw Atalanta dominate Milan in Bergamo

“I think Atalanta had triple the intensity of Milan. We dominated throughout, they had one shot early on and aside from a 10-minute spell in the second half, there was only one team trying to win the game,” Juric told DAZN Italia.

“The lads once again put in a great performance, I’ve never seen the wrong attitude from this team and they deserve more points, but if we keep going like this, then the results will arrive.”

Check the Football Italia Player Ratings for Atalanta 1-1 Milan

The problem is evidently converting chances, because once again Atalanta had 17 shots on goal, but only scored once.

“I think we did very well both winning the ball back and creating chances in transition, but also keeping calm moving the ball around when inevitably Allegri’s teams sit deep. It’s really disappointing we aren’t picking up more points, because we deserve them.

“I remain convinced we will break through and get those results.”

Juric had said in the build-up to this game that Atalanta would’ve been in a better position if Lookman had been able to go through a normal pre-season, as he is only now getting back to full fitness.

“I think we pushed him to play more than perhaps he should’ve done in these games because we wanted him to achieve match fitness,” explained the coach.

“He is a particular type of guy, but in training and on the pitch, he is a sight to behold, just a spectacular player. A winner, with incredible determination, and I am very happy for him. We were only talking yesterday he said if he trains like this, the goal will come, and today he scored a great goal.”

There was a setback in the opening stages too, as captain Marten de Roon limped off with a muscular issue, replaced by Marco Brescianini.

La Dea extended their unbeaten record for the season to the opening nine rounds, but only two of those were victories, as this was their fifth consecutive stalemate.

“We almost have everyone back now, so the team is becoming really competitive. We dominated games against Lazio and Milan, but didn’t win for various reasons, so hopefully we can become more clinical in attack and with these characteristics I am certain we will do well.”

Gianluca Scamacca and Nikola Krstovic were left on the bench throughout, so was that a tactical decision or based on fitness?

“It was a technical decision based on what I saw in training,” replied Juric.

Max Allegri reveals why he took Rafael Leao and Santiago Gimenez off against Atalanta, insisting Milan ‘need to have more belief in what we are doing’ in attack.

The Rossoneri had been hoping to close back up to the top spot after losing it with last week’s 2-2 draw against Pisa.

Instead, they have fallen further behind with another stalemate, as Samuele Ricci saw his early deflected strike cancelled out by an Ademola Lookman moment of magic.

La Dea had the best chance to win it, with Mike Maignan’s fingertip save denying Davide Zappacosta late on.

Allegri sees positive aspects of Milan draw

“We have a few absentees, but the team is reacting well,” Allegri told DAZN Italia.

“We were forced to defend ourselves in the first half after the goal because we were making a lot of technical errors, while we did better after the break, creating chances and making the wrong choices in the final third. That is where we must improve, the team needs to have more belief in what it is doing.

“Atalanta could not continue keeping that high press throughout and we knew they’d run out of steam, but in those moments we needed to improve our finishing and our choices in the final third.

“The goal we conceded was avoidable too on the through ball, but the team must be proud of its performance and prepare for the next match against Roma.”

Check the Football Italia Player Ratings for Atalanta 1-1 Milan

Some decisions prompted concerns, as Rafael Leao was replaced by Christopher Nkunku at half-time, then Santiago Gimenez limped off with an ankle knock.

They have limited options now, with Christian Pulisic, Adrien Rabiot, Pervis Estupinan and Ardon Jashari injured, but Ruben Loftus-Cheek made his comeback off the bench.

“Leao had a little problem with his hip, he wasn’t in great shape at the end of the first half, so the team needed fresh legs and Rafa was struggling to sprint, so I preferred to take him off,” explained Allegri.

“Gimenez just had a knock, it shouldn’t be particularly serious for Leao either, and hopefully we’ll have Estupinan back against Roma too. I hope that after the break for international duty, we’ll have everyone back and fit, but until then we’ve got to grit our teeth.”

If Rafael Leao is not delivering, then Milan struggle to have any real presence in the opposition penalty area.

“Nkunku did very well as a centre-forward and Atalanta dropped off, while Loftus-Cheek had 20 extraordinary minutes, but it is during those positive spells we need to score goals. We had favourable situations in the second half and only allowed the one real chance when we gave the ball away,” insisted Allegri.

“Gimenez worked hard for the team, he needs to relax, the goals will come sooner or later.”

Atalanta held Milan to a closely-fought 1-1 draw on Tuesday evening, with Croatian attacking midfielder Mario Pasalic Football Italia’s Man of the Match.

Atalanta 1-1 Milan – Player Ratings

Atalanta: Carnesecchi 6; Kossounou 6, Hien 6.5, Ahanor 5.5 (Djimsiti 6), Zappacosta 6; Ederson 6, De Roon 6 (Bresciani 6); Bernasconi 6.5 (Bellanova 6), Pasalic 7.5 (Musah N/A), Lookman 7, De Ketelaere 6 (Samardzic N/A)

Best Atalanta player: Pasalic – The Croatian playmaker had a ball out there tonight, creating plenty of chances for his side, including the assist for Lookman’s equaliser, and being a constant menace for the Rossoneri defence to deal with. His passing was near-perfect and today the 30-year-old outshone his compatriot Luka Modric.

Lowest Atalanta rating: Ahanor – Fairly poor performance from the teenager tonight, although feels harsh to judge him too much as he is a young player with an important role in this Atalanta side. However, He did not look as solid as his defensive teammates and was eventually substituted off with twenty minutes to play.

Coach: Ivan Juric 7 – Subs had a good impact on the game and he set up his side in such a way to make life very difficult for Allegri’s Milan. The Rossoneri have only lost once so far this season and it could have so nearly been two, with La Dea the more dominant side this evening. Juric needs to find a way to turn these close draws into victories moving forward.

Milan: Maignan 6; Tomori 5.5, Gabbia 6, Pavlovic 6.5; Saelemaekers 5, Fofana 6, Modric 6, Ricci 7, Bartesaghi 6; Leao 5.5 (Nkunku 6), Gimenez 5 (Loftus-Cheek 6.5)

Best Milan player: Ricci – After spending his first months in Milan hardly touching the pitch, with the Rossoneri preferring Modric, Fofana and Rabiot as a midfield three, Ricci is now settling in. He picked up an assist in his last match and a goal against Atalanta today was his first in Rossoneri colours.

Lowest Milan rating: Gimenez – A yellow card and an injury marred an already flat performance from the Mexican forward. Needs to sort himself out at Milan before the Rossoneri sign a replacement.

Coach: Allegri 6 – Another evening of making the right decisions on paper but his squad letting him down. Made just the essential substitutions and seems to be sorely lacking in any sort of back-up plan for when his side are struggling.

Relive all the action as it happened in today’s Serie A matches on our Live Blog.

AC Milan dropped points again, as Atalanta earned their fifth consecutive Serie A stalemate with the first Ademola Lookman goal since his summer drama cancelling out a Samuele Ricci strike.

La Dea were the only unbeaten side in Serie A, but with just two victories, including four consecutive stalemates. Giorgio Scalvini and Mitchel Bakker were still out of action, but they opted for Ademola Lookman and Charles De Ketelaere supported by Mario Pasalic. The Rossoneri were reeling after losing top spot with a 2-2 draw against Pisa, as Ruben Loftus-Cheek returned to the bench, with Christian Pulisic, Adrien Rabiot, Pervis Estupinan and Ardon Jashari injured.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

Milan took an early lead, as Honest Ahanor cleared a corner to the edge of the area where Samuele Ricci let it bounce and hit the half-volley into the ground, a deflection off Ederson completely wrong-footing Marco Carnesecchi.

Isak Hien nodded a corner just wide, but Atalanta lost captain Marten de Roon to a muscular problem, replaced by ex-Milan midfielder Marco Brescianini.

Ederson tested Mike Maignan from the edge of the box, while Ahanor nodded a Charles De Ketelaere cross wide at the back post, but Ahanor missed a sitter when his first touch was heavy and at full stretch he prodded over the bar from nine yards.

Atalanta did get back on level terms with the first goal Lookman has scored since his summer transfer rebellion. He ran onto the Mario Pasalic through ball and took a touch before smashing the unstoppable left-foot finish into the roof of the net from a tricky angle.

Christopher Nkunku replaced a quiet Rafael Leao for the restart, with Lookman and Bernasconi seeing attempts charged down, while Santiago Gimenez went off with an ankle knock.

Alexis Saelemaekers found himself in an ideal position after combining with Youssouf Fofana, but instead of going for goal, he tried to set up Nkunku and it fell apart.

Odilon Kossounou showed impressive calm to chest a Loftus-Cheek header back to Carnesecchi, anticipating Nkunku from a couple of yards in front of goal.

Bernasconi also threw himself in the path of a Saelemaekers volley after the Luka Modric corner was punched away, then Fofana scuffed a volley wide on the Bartesaghi knockdown at the back post.

Atalanta thought they had taken the lead on 85 minutes when Davide Zappacosta shrugged off a challenge and launched a curler from distance that Maignan flew to fingertip over the bar with one hand. On the resulting corner, Zappacosta also drilled wide of the near post.

Matteo Gabbia made a decisive block on former teammate Yunus Musah at the near post on a Berat Djimsiti assist.

Atalanta 1-1 Milan

Ricci 4 (M), Lookman 36 (A)

28-10-2025 19:45

MatchDay 9

Gewiss Stadium (Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia)

Atalanta

Milan

1 - 1

Player statistic

1st half

		4'		Samuele Ricci
		9'		Santiago Giménez
Ademola Lookman (Assist: Mario Pasalic)		35'

2nd half

		77'		Luka Modric
Marco Brescianini		90+3'
		90+3'		Matteo Gabbia

Match statistic

56

Possession %

44

17

Total shots

6

3

Shots on target

1

8

Shots off target

2

6

Blocked shots

3

9

Corners

4

0

Offsides

1

9

Fouls

8

Atalanta

Milan

Starting lineups

29

Marco Carnesecchi

Goalkeeper

77

Davide Zappacosta

Defender

82'

69

Honest Ahanor

Defender

72'

4

Isak Hien

Defender

47

Lorenzo Bernasconi

Defender

71'

3

Odilon Kossounou

Defender

13

Éderson

Midfielder

8

Mario Pasalic

Midfielder

82'

15

Marten de Roon

Midfielder

20'

11

Ademola Lookman

Attacker

17

Charles De Ketelaere

Attacker

16

Mike Maignan

Goalkeeper

33

Davide Bartesaghi

Defender

23

Fikayo Tomori

Defender

46

Matteo Gabbia

Defender

31

Strahinja Pavlovic

Defender

56

Alexis Saelemaekers

Midfielder

90'

14

Luka Modric

Midfielder

4

Samuele Ricci

Midfielder

19

Youssouf Fofana

Midfielder

10

Rafael Leão

Attacker

46'

7

Santiago Giménez

Attacker

62'

Substitutes

59

Nicola Zalewski

Midfielder

70

Daniel Maldini

Midfielder

31

Francesco Rossi

Goalkeeper

57

Marco Sportiello

Goalkeeper

9

Gianluca Scamacca

Attacker

90

Nikola Krstovic

Attacker

23

Sead Kolasinac

Defender

7

Kamaldeen Sulemana

Midfielder

Relja Obric

Defender

44

Marco Brescianini

Midfielder

20'

16

Raoul Bellanova

Defender

71'

19

Berat Djimsiti

Defender

72'

10

Lazar Samardžić

Midfielder

82'

6

Yunus Musah

Midfielder

82'

1

Pietro Terracciano

Goalkeeper

5

Koni De Winter

Defender

37

Matteo Pittarella

Goalkeeper

27

David Odogu

Defender

18

Christopher Nkunku

Attacker

46'

8

Ruben Loftus-Cheek

Midfielder

62'

24

Zachary Athekame

Defender

90'

Watch as Ademola Lookman scores his first goal since the summer transfer chaos with Atalanta, blasting a ferocious strike into the roof of the AC Milan net.

The Nigeria international and African Player of the Year had tried to force through an exit to Inter, even going AWOL from training for several weeks, but eventually had to return and accept the situation.

It took a while for him to get back into the squad and find his form, but this evening he reminded people what he can do with a fantastic goal to surprise Mike Maignan.

He ran onto the Mario Pasalic assist, took a touch and then smashed the left-foot finish into the roof of the net from a tricky angle.

See how the game unfolds on the Liveblog.

Lookman had not found the back of the net in an Atalanta jersey since May 12 during a 2-1 Serie A win against Roma in Bergamo.

This allowed Atalanta to equalise after Samuele Ricci had given Milan the lead with an effort deflected off Ederson.

Lookman goal marks new Atalanta era

There’s no stopping that

Ademola Lookman opens his account for the season with a thunderous strike

@tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/deye49zHA4

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 28, 2025

Ademola Lookman that is some strike

The Atalanta man scores his first goal of the Serie A season pic.twitter.com/9a5J9C9OXV

— CBS Sports Golazo (@CBSSportsGolazo) October 28, 2025

Atalanta director Luca Percassi will not be drawn on the row between coach Ivan Juric and goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi, as they prepare to face AC Milan. ‘This is the start of a new era.’

It kicks off at the New Balance Arena in Bergamo at 19.45 GMT.

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from this game and Lecce-Napoli on the Liveblog.

La Dea are the only side in Serie A still to taste defeat so far this season, but it has not necessarily translated into success, because they managed just two victories in eight rounds.

That includes a run of four consecutive stalemates, having wasted numerous scoring opportunities.

Atalanta try to smooth over tension

There was tension when coach Juric reacted angrily to goalkeeper Carnesecchi commenting that Atalanta would ‘get nowhere’ with their current form, so how does the club mediate?

“I am very fond of both, so I’ll just limit myself to saying we need to keep working one day at a time,” Percassi told DAZN Italia.

“This is the start of a new era, it takes patience and belief to get stronger every day, then we’ll see where we end up, but we’re not even halfway through the season yet.”

Some time to adapt is inevitable after nine years under the guidance of coach Gian Piero Gasperini, who left for a new challenge with Roma.

Atalanta have created numerous scoring opportunities during these eight rounds so far, but struggled to finish them off with goals.

“Considering the chances that we created, I think we deserved more points, but I couldn’t say how many,” added Percassi.

“We will keep working and the team will be able to express itself better with time. Tonight is a big game against a very strong Milan side who have a great coach in Max Allegri. It’s going to be an exciting match.”

AC Milan director of sport Igli Tare warns they ‘had not planned’ for six simultaneous injuries, but reassures Santiago Gimenez during his goal drought ahead of tonight’s trip to Atalanta.

It kicks off at the New Balance Arena in Bergamo at 19.45 GMT.

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from this game and Lecce-Napoli on the Liveblog.

The Rossoneri fumbled the leadership of Serie A with a disappointing 2-2 home draw against newly-promoted Pisa on Friday, a result they snatched thanks to a last-gasp equaliser.

Tare and AC Milan not losing faith

“We started this new project with great enthusiasm, the fans are behind us and we are going through a positive spell, so must try to find some consistency in this moment,” Tare told DAZN Italia.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek returns to the bench, but Christian Pulisic, Adrien Rabiot, Pervis Estupinan and Ardon Jashari are still out of action.

With the squad stretched thin, but no European competition to worry about, are Milan planning on investing in the January transfer window?

“We had not planned for six players to get injured during the break for international duty, that doesn’t happen every day,” replied the director of sport.

“When these moments happen, we must be aware that we have a strong squad, which the lads proved on the field. We’ve got to keep going until the start of December, then evaluate with the coach for the future.”

Santiago Gimenez starts this evening, but he had been on the market in the summer with links to Roma and has been going through a lengthy goal drought.

“He needs to relax, this is part of the journey for all strikers. I know full well, I played in the same role,” said the former Lazio centre-forward.

“Everyone has faith in him, the club, the coach, but above all his teammates, and tonight is an opportunity to prove himself a great striker.

“Gimenez has always scored lots of goals in his career, so this is just a bad spell, but at the same time he works so hard for the team and this is why the coach keeps faith in him.”

Rafael Leao, Luka Modric and Santiago Gimenez start for Milan, who try to end Atalanta’s unbeaten record with Charles De Ketelaere and Ademola Lookman.

It kicks off at the New Balance Arena in Bergamo at 19.45 GMT.

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from this game and Lecce-Napoli on the Liveblog.

The Rossoneri had been on top of the Serie A table until their surprising 2-2 draw with Pisa at San Siro.

Christian Pulisic, Adrien Rabiot, Pervis Estupinan and Ardon Jashari are still out of action.

Leao is partnered by Gimenez rather than Christopher Nkunku, while Ruben Loftus-Cheek is back on the bench after shaking off a muscular problem.

Fikayo Tomori returns to the defence after being dropped in favour of Koni De Winter.

Atalanta are the only Serie A side to remain unbeaten so far this season, but that doesn’t translate to a successful run, because only two of those were victories and they’ve drawn four on the bounce.

With Nikola Krstovic and Gianluca Scamacca struggling for goals, coach Ivan Juric opts for De Ketelaere and Lookman together supported by Mario Pasalic.

These are familiar faces, as both De Ketelaere and Pasalic are former Milan players, so are Yunus Musah and Daniel Maldini on the bench.

Giorgio Scalvini and Mitchel Bakker are the only remaining absentees.

Atalanta-Milan official line-ups

Atalanta: Carnesecchi; Kossounou, Hien, Ahanor; Zappacosta, De Roon, Ederson, Bernasconi; Pasalic; De Ketelaere, Lookman

Milan: Maignan; Tomori, Gabbia, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers, Fofana, Modric, Ricci, Bartesaghi; Gimenez, Leao

28-10-2025 19:45

MatchDay 9

Gewiss Stadium (Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia)

Atalanta

Milan

1 - 1

Player statistic

1st half

		4'		Samuele Ricci
		9'		Santiago Giménez
Ademola Lookman (Assist: Mario Pasalic)		35'

2nd half

		77'		Luka Modric
Marco Brescianini		90+3'
		90+3'		Matteo Gabbia

Match statistic

56

Possession %

44

17

Total shots

6

3

Shots on target

1

8

Shots off target

2

6

Blocked shots

3

9

Corners

4

0

Offsides

1

9

Fouls

8

Atalanta

Milan

Starting lineups

29

Marco Carnesecchi

Goalkeeper

77

Davide Zappacosta

Defender

82'

69

Honest Ahanor

Defender

72'

4

Isak Hien

Defender

47

Lorenzo Bernasconi

Defender

71'

3

Odilon Kossounou

Defender

13

Éderson

Midfielder

8

Mario Pasalic

Midfielder

82'

15

Marten de Roon

Midfielder

20'

11

Ademola Lookman

Attacker

17

Charles De Ketelaere

Attacker

16

Mike Maignan

Goalkeeper

33

Davide Bartesaghi

Defender

23

Fikayo Tomori

Defender

46

Matteo Gabbia

Defender

31

Strahinja Pavlovic

Defender

56

Alexis Saelemaekers

Midfielder

90'

14

Luka Modric

Midfielder

4

Samuele Ricci

Midfielder

19

Youssouf Fofana

Midfielder

10

Rafael Leão

Attacker

46'

7

Santiago Giménez

Attacker

62'

Substitutes

59

Nicola Zalewski

Midfielder

70

Daniel Maldini

Midfielder

31

Francesco Rossi

Goalkeeper

57

Marco Sportiello

Goalkeeper

9

Gianluca Scamacca

Attacker

90

Nikola Krstovic

Attacker

23

Sead Kolasinac

Defender

7

Kamaldeen Sulemana

Midfielder

Relja Obric

Defender

44

Marco Brescianini

Midfielder

20'

16

Raoul Bellanova

Defender

71'

19

Berat Djimsiti

Defender

72'

10

Lazar Samardžić

Midfielder

82'

6

Yunus Musah

Midfielder

82'

1

Pietro Terracciano

Goalkeeper

5

Koni De Winter

Defender

37

Matteo Pittarella

Goalkeeper

27

David Odogu

Defender

18

Christopher Nkunku

Attacker

46'

8

Ruben Loftus-Cheek

Midfielder

62'

24

Zachary Athekame

Defender

90'

Santiago Gimenez will partner with Rafael Leao in Milan’s away game at Atalanta this evening, while Ivan Juric will look to Charles De Ketelaere and Ademola Lookman.

It kicks off at 20:45 CET (19:45 GMT) at the New Balance Stadium in Bergamo.

It’s a mid-week Serie A round, and the game will kick off after Lecce-Napoli.

Atalanta are the only unbeaten team in Serie A this season, but have also collected six draws in eight matches.

They host Milan without the injured Giorgio Scalvini, while the Rossoneri have travelled to Bergamo without Adrien Rabiot, Ardon Jashari, Christian Pulisic and Pervis Estupinan.

Multiple sources, including Gazzetta, claim that Atalanta coach Juric will pick Lookman and De Ketelaere in attack, with Mario Pasalic playing as an attacking midfielder.

Massimiliano Allegri is expected to reply with Leao and Gimenez up front. The Mexico international has yet to score a goal in Serie A this season.

Davide Bartesaghi will replace Estupinan on the left wing, and Fikayo Tomori will return to the starting XI after resting against Pisa in the previous round.

Atalanta vs. Milan – where to watch on TV

The game will be broadcast live on TNT Sports 1 in the UK and Ireland, but is also available to stream on DAZN. Fans in the USA can stream it live on Paramount+.

Atalanta vs. Milan – probable line-ups

Atalanta (3-4-2-1): Carnesecchi; Kossounou, Hien, Djimsiti; Zappacosta, De Roon, Ederson, Zalewski; Pasalic; De Ketelaere, Lookman.

Milan (3-5-2): Maignan; Tomori, Gabbia, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers, Fofana, Modric, Ricci, Bartesaghi; Gimenez, Leao.

Ivan Juric says Atalanta must raise their level in every department as they prepare for a crucial clash with Milan, while also expressing sympathy for Igor Tudor after the Croatian coach was sacked by Juventus.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Juric opened by reacting to events in Turin. “I feel sorry for Tudor because he was a Juventus man,” he said, with quotes via TuttoMercatoWeb.

“But this is our job. When you have a period where you play well but don’t win, you must improve in every area.”

Atalanta coach Juric: ‘Everything is fine with Carnesecchi’

The coach also addressed his recent public friction with goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi, insisting the issue is closed. “Everything is absolutely fine,” Juric stressed.

“The words were said in the heat of the moment. I’m very satisfied with his performances.”

Juric confirmed that Marten de Roon’s selection in defence was a deliberate tactical choice and not a stop-gap. “It’s not a surprise,” he said. “He does that role well.”

He also discussed squad fitness, noting that Sead Kolašinac is not yet ready to start, while “Scamacca needs calm, but I’d like to get him playing soon.”

Juric on tough schedule ahead of Milan clash

Despite a run of draws and missed opportunities, Juric remains positive. “We’ve created a lot, but we haven’t turned it into goals. The team is alive. Lookman is fully involved and only missing the finish,” he explained.

Kossounou, meanwhile, is expected to start: “I’m pleased with his progress and I think he will play from the beginning.”

Juric acknowledged the challenge of facing Milan, especially with a demanding schedule. “Playing every 2-3 days is difficult. We analyse things day by day. To contain Milan, we need rhythm and compactness.”

Atalanta have not won in Serie A since September 21, and Tuesday night offers a crucial opportunity to restart their campaign.

Ivan Juric told Marco Carnesecchi he needs to ‘talk less’ after Atalanta were held to another disappointing draw by Cremonese. ‘We had too many scoring opportunities go to waste.’

La Dea managed to maintain their unbeaten Serie A record at the Stadio Zini thanks to a goal from substitute Marco Brescianini, after Jamie Vardy had put Cremonese in front with his debut goal.

“I did not like the team in the first half, they were sluggish, and it’s not just about the Champions League, because I didn’t like the way those who were rotated played either,” Juric told Sky Sport Italia.

“After the break, we did the usual thing of creating a ton of chances and then allowing a counter-attack, which can happen in football. We did much better, but once again we had too many scoring opportunities go to waste.”

Juric sees recurring Atalanta problem

Although they are yet to taste defeat in Italy, the fact remains Atalanta have just 12 points, because they have drawn six of their eight games in the league.

Including the Champions League, they’ve played four consecutive stalemates, which means they have just one point more than newly-promoted Cremonese.

In his post-match interview, Marco Carnesecchi said that Atalanta had to change gear or they would “go nowhere” with this pace of results.

Juric was told about the comments and did not appreciate the constructive criticism.

“Marco is an ambitious guy, but he was completely wrong. His job is to save shots, be professional and talk a lot less. That’s true of many players, not just him,” replied the coach.

“I am very satisfied with the overall performances, but when we keep creating these chances and don’t win for several games in a row, it irritates me. I don’t think Carnesecchi is suited to talk about this situation.

“Carnesecchi is a good lad, he’s doing really well and I see how hard he works, but all these players are working their socks off. If we create 20-25 chances every game and don’t score, there are reasons for it. Lookman and Scamacca didn’t train over the summer, so they need to get into shape.”

Atalanta have put together a streak of disappointing draws against teams they had expected to beat, whereas the upcoming fixture list includes Milan, Udinese, Olympique Marseille, Sassuolo, Napoli, Eintracht Frankfurt and Fiorentina.

Will they be able to create this many chances to score in those games?

“We have dropped points, that is true, and we need to improve, but we also saw strong performances against teams like Juventus and Club Brugge,” assured Juric.

Jamie Vardy is ‘over the moon’ with his first Serie A goal, albeit with regrets that Cremonese were held to a draw, but reveals extra motivation for learning Italian. ‘My kids will take the mickey!’

The veteran finally made his mark this evening by giving Cremonese the lead against Atalanta at the Stadio Zini, his first goal since making the move as a free agent over the summer.

However, it was cancelled out by a late Marco Brescianini strike for the final 1-1 result.

Vardy joy at breaking Serie A duck

“I’m over the moon to get my first goal, but taking the lead that late on, I’m a bit disappointed we didn’t get the three points. Still, it’s a step in the right direction,” Vardy told Sky Sport Italia.

There had been doubts about his fitness levels at the age of 38, but the former Leicester City legend showed he is in good shape with some acrobatic backflips to celebrate.

Jamie Vardy’s having a party! #CremoneseAtalanta 1-0 pic.twitter.com/h1TB4QMH3S

— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) October 25, 2025

“I feel great. I look after myself, make sure I do all the right recovery and as close to 100 per cent for each game as and when they come. If the manager wants me to play, then I’m all ready to go, and then that decision is up to the manager. I’m ready whenever.”

The Premier League winner was asked what differences he has found between English football and Serie A after these first few months of the experience.

“It’s more tactical and possession based in Serie A, you get to the Premier League and it’s all high intensity, fast paced, normally end to end. Here you have more time on the ball, you need to make sure you’re in the right positions.

“At the end of the day, football is football, we just have to make sure we’re on it 100 per cent every week. It’s 11 against 11 every week, anyone can beat anyone, so as long as we’re fully on it, we know that we can pick up points no matter who we’re playing.”

Has Vardy learned any Italian since making the move to Cremonese?

“I only know the basics, good morning, thank you, numbers, but I’ll be taking lessons as of next week, so hopefully that will start the bringing on the language a bit more. I have to learn, as my kids are learning, and I can’t have them learning it before me, otherwise they’ll be taking the mickey out of me!”

Jamie Vardy scored his first Cremonese goal and celebrated with backflips, but Atalanta still got back with Marco Brescianini for yet another stalemate.

These teams have both proved themselves hard to beat, but also struggled to get victories. The hosts had drawn four of the last five, with Lameck Banda, Giuseppe Pezzella, Alberto Grassi, Faris Moumbagna and Michele Collocolo out injured. La Dea were the only Serie A side still unbeaten this season, but had drawn five of the seven and played a disappointing Champions League 0-0 with Slavia Prague midweek too. Giorgio Scalvini, Sead Kolasinac and Mitchel Bakker were the only remaining absentees.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

Charles De Ketelaere ran onto the Ederson through ball and should’ve gone for goal rather than rolling it across for Nikola Krstovic.

Isak Hien made a decisive interception to prevent Jamie Vardy nodding in from six yards, while Federico Baschirotto made practically a goal-line clearance on the Krstovic header from Raoul Bellanova’s hook back.

Marco Carnesecchi had his gloves stung by a Tommaso Barbieri strike, with Marco Silvestri doing the same on a Krstovic angled drive.

De Ketelaere aimed a weak totally free header straight at Silvestri on Ademola Lookman’s cross, while Lookman had two angled drives charged down by Baschirotto and Filippo Terracciano.

After the restart, Barbieri flung himself in the path of a Krstovic volley from 10 yards, then when Jamie Vardy had the ball in the net on 56 minutes with a delicate finish, he was flagged offside.

Lazar Samardzic came off the bench and forced a tricky low save out of Silvestri by drilling through a defender’s legs at the base of the near post.

Terracciano also used his body to charge down Lookman’s curler from the edge of the box, while Silvestri got down quickly to fingertip a Samardzic daisy-cutter round the base of the upright. On the resulting corner, Marten de Roon’s volley flashed inches wide.

Instead, it was Cremonese who took the lead with the first Italian goal for Vardy. Carnesecchi stuck out a leg for a stunning save on Alessio Zerbin’s angled drive from eight yards, but could do nothing on the Vardy follow-up. The English veteran celebrated with some acrobatic backflips.

Jamie Vardy’s having a party! #CremoneseAtalanta 1-0 pic.twitter.com/h1TB4QMH3S

— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) October 25, 2025

However, Atalanta kept pushing, and after another big Silvestri reaction save on Gianluca Scamacca, Marco Brescianini thumped the rebound into the far bottom corner from just inside the area on the half-volley.

Cremonese 1-1 Atalanta

Vardy 78 (C), Brescianini 84 (A)

25-10-2025 19:45

MatchDay 8

Stadio Giovanni Zini

Cremonese

Atalanta

1 - 1

Player statistic

1st half

Romano Floriani Mussolini

16'

2nd half

Jamie Vardy		51'
		75'		Gianluca Scamacca
Jamie Vardy		78'
		84'		Marco Brescianini
Franco Vázquez		90+4'

Match statistic

35

Possession %

65

9

Total shots

20

5

Shots on target

6

4

Shots off target

6

0

Blocked shots

8

2

Corners

10

3

Offsides

2

6

Fouls

8

Cremonese

Atalanta

Starting lineups

16

Marco Silvestri

Goalkeeper

6

Federico Baschirotto

Defender

30

Mika Faye

Defender

61'

22

Romano Floriani Mussolini

Defender

4

Tommaso Barbieri

Defender

24

Filippo Terracciano

Midfielder

27

Jari Vandeputte

Midfielder

32

Martín Payero

Midfielder

73'

7

Alessio Zerbin

Attacker

85'

99

Antonio Sanabria

Attacker

46'

10

Jamie Vardy

Attacker

29

Marco Carnesecchi

Goalkeeper

19

Berat Djimsiti

Defender

4

Isak Hien

Defender

16

Raoul Bellanova

Defender

13

Éderson

Midfielder

8

Mario Pasalic

Midfielder

15

Marten de Roon

Midfielder

82'

59

Nicola Zalewski

Midfielder

11

Ademola Lookman

Attacker

17

Charles De Ketelaere

Attacker

58'

90

Nikola Krstovic

Attacker

58'

Substitutes

69

Lapo Nava

Goalkeeper

1

Emil Audero

Goalkeeper

90

Federico Bonazzoli

Attacker

23

Federico Ceccherini

Defender

11

Dennis Johnsen

Attacker

48

Dachi Lordkipanidze

Midfielder

19

Jeremy Sarmiento

Midfielder

46'

15

Matteo Bianchetti

Defender

61'

55

Francesco Folino

Defender

73'

20

Franco Vázquez

Midfielder

85'

70

Daniel Maldini

Midfielder

77

Davide Zappacosta

Defender

31

Francesco Rossi

Goalkeeper

57

Marco Sportiello

Goalkeeper

3

Odilon Kossounou

Defender

47

Lorenzo Bernasconi

Defender

6

Yunus Musah

Midfielder

69

Honest Ahanor

Defender

Relja Obric

Defender

10

Lazar Samardžić

Midfielder

58'

9

Gianluca Scamacca

Attacker

58'

44

Marco Brescianini

Midfielder

82'

7

Kamaldeen Sulemana

Midfielder

82'

Italy ranks 8th in the UEFA Coefficient ranking after the latest round of European matches, but it has slightly closed the gap with the second spot.

Serie A clubs collected just three victories in the latest round of European games.

Serie A clubs’ results in European competitions

Inter were the only Italian side to collect all three points in the Champions League, while Bologna won their first Europa League game this term and Fiorentina beat Rapid Wien 3-0 away in the Conference League.

Juventus and Napoli lost their Champions League games against Real Madrid and PSV, respectively, and Roma suffered their second consecutive Europa League defeat, capitulating at the Olimpico against Viktoria Plzen.

Atalanta were the only Serie A club to collect a draw as they were held to a goalless stalemate by Slavia Prague in the Champions League.

The latest results in Europe mean Italy have not moved from eighth position in the UEFA Coefficient ranking, but they are slightly closer to the second spot compared to the latest round of European games at the start of October.

Italy’s position has not changed, but two weeks ago, Serie A was 847 points below the second spot occupied by England, while now it is 743 points behind Portugal, who have been overtaken by England at the top of the table.

Only the first two spots grant an extra Champions League placement for the following season, an accomplishment that Italy fulfilled in the 2023-24 campaign.

Update UEFA Coefficient ranking – October 24, 2025

England (9/9) – 8.166

Portugal (4/5) – 7.600

Poland (4/4) – 7.375

Germany (7/7) – 7.285

Spain (8/8) – 7.250

Cyprus (3/4) – 7.250

Denmark (2/4) – 7.125

Italy (7/7) – 6.857

France (7/7) – 6.071

Netherlands (6/6) – 5.750

Italy international Mateo Retegui hints AC Milan made an approach this summer, but Al Qadsiah ‘were the team that wanted me the most.’

The striker was flying high last term as Capocannoniere of Serie A with Atalanta and first choice centre-forward for Italy.

It was therefore somewhat surprising when he opted to make the move to the Saudi Pro League, even if La Dea pocketed a huge €67m plus bonuses fee for the transfer.

There were reports that Milan had shown strong interest too, so Retegui was asked about this by Al Arabiya television.

Retegui targeted by Milan and Al Qadsiah

“There were several clubs who were interested, but the negotiations were not successful, whereas Al Qadsiah were the most concrete and the team that wanted me the most,” explained the striker.

It has been suggested that the Italian Football Federation were unhappy with Retegui’s decision to move to the Saudi Pro League, feeling it might weaken his development.

Did he speak to Roberto Mancini, who in turn had left the Italy job to take over as manager of Saudi Arabia, before choosing?

“No, I didn’t talk to Mancini about it. I talked to my friend Fernandez, who was my teammate at Tigre, and coach Michel convinced me too.

“With all due respect to Gabriele Gravina and the Federation, I have a good rapport with them and they can have their opinion, but I don’t want to talk about this, as my comments might be distorted.”

Although he was born and raised in Argentina, Retegui was approached to represent the Italy squad thanks to his heritage.

“I didn’t want to wait too long for the call from Scaloni, which never did arrive. So when Mancini called instead, I immediately accepted.”

Ivan Juric admits Atalanta are frustrated at their 0-0 Champions League draw with Slavia Prague. ‘In the last two games, we had 15 clear-cut scoring opportunities and didn’t score.’

La Dea showed exactly the same problems that have plagued them all season in this evening’s deeply disappointing 0-0 draw with Slavia Prague.

They had 21 attempts on goal and 52 attacks, but failed to find the net, wasting golden opportunities with several different strikers.

Ademola Lookman, Nikola Krstovic, Gianluca Scamacca and Kamaldeen Sulemana all missed big chances for what is their first Champions League stalemate, but an all too familiar result in Serie A.

Juric waiting for Atalanta breakthrough

“In the last two games, I think we had 15 clear-cut scoring opportunities in every way, headers, counter-attacks, shots,” Juric told Sky Sport Italia.

“On the one hand, you are happy to create this many chances, as it means you are doing something right to get yourself into these positions, on the other clearly something isn’t working in the final third.

“It’s just a period like that, we are struggling to score goals. We have to think positive, as when you create this many chances, you will get a breakthrough sooner or later. I am mainly disappointed for the lads, the fans and the club, because we do so much at a high level and don’t make it count. That makes you sad.”

There was some good news with the return of Scamacca from another long-term injury, although he had a free header over the bar from six yards.

Are Atalanta perhaps missing the determination and movement of a player like Mateo Retegui, who was after all Capocannoniere of Serie A last season?

“I think Scamacca is a great talent and he has barely played in over a year, so it will take time to get him to 100 per cent,” noted Juric.

“I feel bad for Krstovic, who is doing so many positive things and has been unlucky with the goals. There’s no point thinking about the past, we have to focus on the players we have now, and they are all talented enough to score goals.”

With four points from three games in the Champions League, Atalanta sit in 17^th place, so at the very top of the unseeded spots of the knockout phase play-offs.

Atalanta were held to yet another stalemate after wasting an incredible number of chances in this disappointing Champions League 0-0 with Slavia Prague.

La Dea had only one defeat all season, 4-0 to Paris Saint-Germain, and beat Club Brugge here 2-1 to put them on the right track in Europe. The injury crisis was calming with only Giorgio Scalvini, Sead Kolasinac and Mitchel Bakker still out, as Ademola Lookman got his second start since his summer transfer rebellion. Slavia Prague missed Igoh Ogbu, Petr Sevcik, Dominik Javorcek, Filip Horsky, David Doudera and Jindrich Stanek after their 3-0 defeat to Inter.

See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.

Tomas Chory almost caused an upset in the opening minute with an angled drive that flashed just wide, but Atalanta had a double chance when Markovic denied first Odilon Kossounou one-on-one, then got back up to fingertip the Charles De Ketelaere scorcher round the far top corner.

Nikola Krstovic should’ve had two goals in the space of five minutes. First he came sliding in to meet the Davide Zappacosta assist from six yards, with the goalkeeper and David Zima combining to prevent the tap-in. Moments later, he ballooned over the bar after great work from De Ketelaere to roll across.

Chory also failed to make the most of a promising pull-back, while Lookman’s effort was deflected wide and De Ketelaere’s curler was inches wide.

Atalanta’s problems converting chances this season continued, with Lookman and Ederson not finding the target, so Slavia Prague were able to threaten with David Moses forcing a one-handed Marco Carnesecchi save in first half stoppages.

Carnesecchi also had his gloves stung by a Provod free kick and an audacious Kusej volley flashed wide.

Kamaldeen Sulemana added to the wasted opportunities when going clear on a De Ketelaere pass, only for a heavy first touch to ruin it all.

It remained open, Sadilek blasting just over from the edge of the box, while the returning Gianluca Scamacca turned a free header over from six yards on Nicola Zalewski’s cross.

Scamacca also forced a tough save from Markovic at the near top corner with a powerful strike.

Atalanta 0-0 Slavia Prague

22-10-2025 20:00

MatchDay 3

Gewiss Stadium (Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia)

Atalanta

Slavia Praha

0 - 0

Player statistic

1st half

Lorenzo Bernasconi

35'

2nd half

Marten de Roon		51'
		87'		Jan Boril
Berat Djimsiti		90+4'
		90+4'		Erik Prekop

Match statistic

56

Possession %

44

22

Total shots

16

5

Shots on target

4

8

Shots off target

8

9

Blocked shots

4

6

Corners

3

5

Offsides

3

8

Fouls

15

Atalanta

Slavia Praha

Starting lineups

29

Marco Carnesecchi

Goalkeeper

19

Berat Djimsiti

Defender

77

Davide Zappacosta

Defender

74'

4

Isak Hien

Defender

47

Lorenzo Bernasconi

Defender

46'

3

Odilon Kossounou

Defender

13

Éderson

Midfielder

15

Marten de Roon

Midfielder

11

Ademola Lookman

Attacker

62'

17

Charles De Ketelaere

Attacker

90'

90

Nikola Krstovic

Attacker

62'

35

Jakub Markovic

Goalkeeper

4

David Zima

Defender

18

Jan Boril

Defender

27

Tomas Vlcek

Defender

88'

12

Youssoupha Mbodji

Defender

61'

10

Christos Zafeiris

Midfielder

16

David Moses

Midfielder

68'

17

Lukas Provod

Midfielder

19

Oscar

Midfielder

25

Tomas Chory

Attacker

9

Vasil Kusej

Attacker

88'

Substitutes

70

Daniel Maldini

Midfielder

31

Francesco Rossi

Goalkeeper

8

Mario Pasalic

Midfielder

57

Marco Sportiello

Goalkeeper

44

Marco Brescianini

Midfielder

6

Yunus Musah

Midfielder

69

Honest Ahanor

Defender

59

Nicola Zalewski

Midfielder

46'

9

Gianluca Scamacca

Attacker

62'

7

Kamaldeen Sulemana

Midfielder

62'

16

Raoul Bellanova

Defender

74'

10

Lazar Samardžić

Midfielder

90'

36

Jindrich Stanek

Goalkeeper

7

Muhammed Cham

Midfielder

13

Mojmir Chytil

Attacker

53

Simon Sloncik

Defender

8

Daiki Hashioka

Defender

43

Tomas Jelinek

Midfielder

40

Adam Rezek

Goalkeeper

45

Martin Kovar

Defender

23

Michal Sadilek

Midfielder

61'

2

Stepan Chaloupek

Defender

68'

31

Erik Prekop

Attacker

88'

11

Youssoupha Sanyang

Midfielder

88'