Cissé set for Milan start after European hat-trick

Cissé is expected to move into Milan’s starting attack against Atalanta after scoring a hat-trick in Europe. He is projected to partner Christian Pulisic behind Gonçalo Ramos as Ruben Amorim’s side look to keep their unbeaten Serie A run going at San Siro.

Milan are expected to stick with a 3-4-2-1. De Winter should join Gila and Pavlović in the back three, while Luka Modrić and Yunus Musah are competing for a place alongside Adrien Rabiot in midfield. Alexis Saelemaekers and Matteo Gabbia are unavailable with ankle and thigh injuries respectively.

The projected front three puts Cissé in the spotlight. His European hat-trick has put him in line to start, with Pulisic alongside him and Ramos leading the line. Milan drew with Sassuolo in their previous league outing, according to Calciomercato.com, and will be looking to return to winning ways while protecting their unbeaten start.

Atalanta are expected to answer with a 4-3-3. Nikola Krstović is slightly favoured to start at centre-forward ahead of Gianluca Scamacca after scoring twice and assisting once against Venezia. Charles De Ketelaere and Rowe are projected on the wings.

Atalanta have their own selection questions. Scalvini and Kessié are unlikely to recover, with Kristensen and Pasalić tipped to step in. Raspadori is also expected to miss out.

Milan enter the match sixth with 12 points and no defeats in six games. Atalanta are 10th on nine points. The meeting is scheduled for 18:00 CEST on Sunday, October 18. Cissé’s expected promotion gives Milan’s attack a fresh focal point, while Krstović’s recent contribution makes the visitors’ choice at centre-forward another key call.