Max Allegri believes the increasingly tight race for Champions League places means ‘at least 73 points’ will be necessary to guarantee a place in the top four, making this trip to Atalanta even more crucial.
It kicks off at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo at 11.30 UK time (10.30 GMT).
The situation is increasingly tight in the table after Milan and Inter beat Lazio and Roma respectively yesterday, so a win would let the Bianconeri leapfrog Lazio into second, but at the same time an Atalanta victory could cram five teams from second to sixth in a radius of just three points.
“Squad rotation is natural, we played on Wednesday and need everyone. Those I changed have always done well, there will be more changes on Thursday. After yesterday’s results, the minimum for the Champions League places is now at least 73 points,” Allegri told Sky Sport Italia.
Samuel Iling-Junior gets his first Serie A start today, having impressed off the bench in several situations, one of several NextGen players promoted to the senior squad.
“He is a lad who proved he can do well, returned after an injury against Lecce and is in good shape. The important thing is that we play as a team, because Atalanta are a very physical side and it is always tough in Bergamo.”
Allegri said during his press conference yesterday that he wanted to see fewer ‘individual’ moves from his players, so was he aiming it at anyone in particular?
“No, at this moment of the season, there might be some players thinking about themselves, but I am glad to say here the lads focus on the team more than anything else and proved that throughout the campaign. We also have the Europa League semi-final coming up, we need to take it one step at a time and see what happens.”