Allegri wants to stay at Milan 'for as long as possible' amid future uncertainty

Massimiliano Allegri insists he aims to "stay at AC Milan for as long as possible", amid speculation surrounding his future at San Siro.

The Rossoneri head coach has reportedly endured a breakdown in his relationship with the club's CEO Giorgio Furlani, against whom fans are set to protest during Sunday's clash with Atalanta.

Allegri has guided Milan to third place in Serie A with three games remaining of his first season back in charge, though speculation suggests he could leave at the end of the campaign.

The 58-year-old has also been linked with the vacant Italy post, following Gennaro Gattuso's departure, but he is adamant his future lies with his current employers.

"This is not a matter I've thought about," he told reporters during his pre-match press conference. "Right now, Milan are the most important thing, for the next games and for next season.

"We've worked with great attention and dedication for 10 months. We must respect everyone who makes themselves available so we can perform at our best. I don't think about anything else, because my goal is to stay at Milan for as long as possible."

Though on course to return to the Champions League next season, Milan have only won one of their last five games in Serie A, while holding just a three-point cushion over fifth-place Roma.

Nevertheless, Allegri remains in an optimistic mood, while he also paid tribute to the Rossoneri supporters.

"We can only thank them for now," he said. "They've been supporting us since August 17, and the stadium has always been full.

"We've always felt their support, and they'll do it tomorrow as well in a decisive moment of the season. We have a tricky match. We've had a good week of work, and we'll have to face Atalanta as we try to return to winning, which we haven't done at home in a while.

"We must do and not talk. Atalanta are an excellent team, and we'll need an excellent performance to bring the result home.

"I'm not worried; you have to look at things positively. Normally, after a defeat like the one against Sassuolo, one tends to see things more negatively.

"The destiny is in our hands. What’s nice about football is that 90 minutes can change everything. That said, tomorrow we won't be mathematically in or out of the Champions League."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

AC Milan – Rafael Leao

Leao is set to make his 250th appearance in Europe's big five leagues, registering 72 goals and 46 assists in 249 games so far.

The 1999-born Portugal winger is the youngest player with 70 or more goals and 45 or more assists in Europe's big five leagues since his debut for Lille in the 2018-19 campaign.

Atalanta – Charles De Ketelaere

De Ketelaere has made 99 Serie A appearances for Atalanta, and is one of three players to have scored 20+ goals and provided 20+ assists (20 goals, 20 assists) in the last three Italian top-flight seasons, alongside Leao (26 goals, 20 assists) and Christian Pulisic (31 goals, 20 assists).

However, the Belgian has not scored in the competition since January 10 (against Torino), and has only netted once in his last 25 Serie A appearances.

MATCH PREDICTION – DRAW

Milan have failed to win any of their last five Serie A matches against Atalanta (D2 L3), after winning four of the previous five (D1).

Atalanta have avoided defeat in nine of their last 11 Serie A away games against Milan (W4 D5), though not since 1943 (three in a row) have they won successive such matches.

However, La Dea have failed to win six of their last eight away games in the Italian top flight (D4 L2), while overall, they have collected just 10 points from their last nine matches in the division (W2 D4).

Meanwhile, the Rossoneri have only scored once in their last five Serie A matches, fewer than any other side in the competition since the start of April.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

AC Milan – 45.2%

Draw – 26.8%

Atalanta – 28.0%