MILANELLO - "I have a great relationship with President Berlusconi. I work every day with Galliani and in the last two years we’ve got good results. Berlusconi told me not to think about the rumors going around.” These were some of the declarations made by Massimiliano Allegri in the course of today’s press conference ahead of Milan-Atalanta on Wednesday at 20.45.

MILANELLO - "We’re in the title fight despite the chances are lower now. We have to win against Atalanta so as not to mathematically give the title to Juventus” Two days ahead of the match against Atalanta, Massimiliano Allegri spoke about the title race and what has been, all in all, a positive season: “We won the first title of the season, the Super Cup, we got to the quarter final of the Champions League, we got to the semi final of the Italian cup and we’re still in the title race.”
 

MILANELLO – Here’s what Massimiliano Allegri had to say ahead of Milan-Atalanta on Wednesday at 20.45:
"I still think we’re still in the title race even if the chances now are diminished with only three games left and Juventus with a three point lead and with the head to heads in their favor. I think the only thing we can do is focus on winning and of course it’s normal now to look back at what has happened in the course of the season.”“I definitely don’t want to forget this year because it has been positive. We went out of the quarter finals against Barcelona, we’re fighting for the title, we’ve got a lot of points in the last two years, we’re 20 points ahead of third place and we’ve qualified for next season’s Champions League. Juventus are doing likewise and this year, the head-to-head games have made the difference.”“I have a great relationship with the President and I spoke with his yesterday morning. I speak with Galliani every day. My contract goes to 2014. It’s the club that decides.”“At the moment the difference between us is the head-to-head matches. In Turin we played a bad game. They got 4 points from those matches, we got 1 and that’s their lead. Also last year we got 8 points from the first 5 matches and this year we got 5. That’s a three point difference and if you have a team like Juventus doing as well as they are doing, these points count.”“We played a good game yesterday, we were calmer and after 15 days of stormy weather when we lost the top spot and people tried to pass our season off as a failure, we got Cassano back and I’m happy to be able to give him to Prandelli in good shape.” 

MILAN – There are no players suspended for the Rossoneri ahead of Milan- Atalanta on Wednesday evening at 20.45. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Philippe Mexes, Clarence Seedorf, Mario Yepes and Gianluca Zambrotta are a booking away from a ban. For Atalanta, Doni is suspended until 2015 while Bellini, Carmona, Capelli, Consigli and Peluso are a yellow card away from a suspension.

MILAN – Here are the referee teams for Serie A’s midweek Round 36 on Wednesday:Catania-Bologna: Palazzino (De Pinto-Citro/Ostinelli); Cesena-Udinese: Damato (Altomare-Vuoto/Di Paolo);   Chievo-Roma (Tomorrow at 18): Banti (Passeri-Bianchi/Nasca); Fiorentina-Novara: Giannoccaro (Galloni-La Rocca/Tommasi); Genoa-Cagliari: Mazzoleni (Ghiandai-Giordano/Russo); Juventus-Lecce: Valeri (Grilli-Cariolato/Gava); Lazio-Siena: Celi (Nicoletti-Romagnoli/Giacomelli);Milan-Atalanta: Guida (Manganelli-Padovan/Brighi); Napoli-Palermo: De Marco (Viazzi-Liberti/Peruzzo);Parma-Inter: Orsato (Di Fiore-Marzaloni/Romeo).
 

MILANELLO – Training this morning started at 11.00 on the outside pitch.For the players who didn’t play against Siena yesterday as well as those who came off the bench (Nocerino, Aquilani and El Shaarawy), training started with a warm up with the ball as a stretching session.This was followed by some tactical work which went on for roughly half an hour.Training ended with a half hour practice match with goal keepers Amelia and Piscitelli using half the pitch.Ambrosini and Nesta took a full part in the session.Thiago Silva, Pato and Emanuelson all worked out in the gym along with the starting 11 who started the match against Siena.Gattuso, Muntari and Roma trained with a long run.Tomorrow session is scheduled for the afternoon.

MILANELLO - Training comes to a close at the Milanello sports centre with both Ambrosini and Nesta taking a full part in proceedings.

MILAN – Here are the facts and figures from 35 league precedents between Milan and Atalanta. the next match is scheduled for 20.45 on Wednesday at the San Siro Stadium:
THE LAST FIVE GAMESMILAN - Milan-Fiorentina 1-2, Chievo-Milan 0-1, Milan-Bologna 1-1, Milan-Genoa 1-0, Siena-Milan 1-4.ATALANTA - Atalanta-Siena 1-2, Napoli-Atalanta 1-3, Catania-Atalanta 2-0, Atalanta-Chievo 1-0, Atalanta-Fiorentina 2-0.
THE 5 MOST USED PLAYERSMILAN - Nocerino 2945 minutes, Abbiati 2724, Ibrahimovic 2689, Abate 2659, Thiago Silva 2428.ATALANTA - Consigli 3129 minutes, Schelotto 2812, Denis 2769, Peluso 2684, Cigarini 2489.
ASSISTSIbrahimovic 71, Moralez 48, Robinho 45, Emanuelson 33, Cassano 32, Schelotto 32, Denis 30.GOAL SCORING ASSISTS - Cassano 8, Robinho 7, Aquilani 6, Ibrahimovic 6, Denis 4, Emanuelson 4, Moralez 4.SHOTS AND GOALSSHOTS - Ibrahimovic 123, Denis 69, Robinho 48, Nocerino 46, Moralez 39, Boateng 35, Emanuelson 35.GOALS - Ibrahimovic 26, Denis 16, Nocerino 10, Moralez 6, Boateng 5, Robinho 5, Marilungo 4.
MILAN STATISTICSPOSSESSION: 30:12 minuti ad ogni partita.SHOTS ON TARGET: 6.3PASSES: 671.9PASSES COMPLETED: 71.2 %TERRITORIAL ADVANTAGE: 13:32 minutes per game spent in the opponents halfATTACKING INDEX: 61.8 % measurement of how dangerous the team is going forward
ATALANTA STATISTICSPOSSESSION: 22:43 minuti ad ogni partita.SHOTS ON TARGET: 4.3PASSES: 521.9PASSES COMPLETED: 60.9 %TERRITORIAL ADVANTAGE: 9:18 minutes per game spent in the opponents halfATTACKING INDEX: 41.8 % measurement of how dangerous the team is going forward(Source: Panini Digital for legaseriea.it)

Antonio Cassano has been praised by AC
Milan’s doctor for working tirelessly to get fit after heart
problems but his return to the starting lineup looks to have
come too late to save their dwindling scudetto hopes.

MILAN - Marco Guida is the designated referee for Milan-Atalanta on Wednesday 2 May at 20.45 at the San Siro stadium in Milan.

MILANELLO - The Rossoneri started work this morning at 11.00. All the players who didn't start yesterday's match against Siena were on the pitch, including Ambrosini and Nesta. Thiago Silva continues to train apart while Rino Gattuso works on his fitness.

MILAN – Atalanta’s official website reports that the side from Bergamo, following yesterday’s win over Fiorentina, got back to training this morning ahead of the match against Milan on Wednesday at the San Siro stadium at 20.45. Brighi and Capelli continue to follow personalized training programs. Training tomorrow will take place behind closed doors.

(IN THE PHOTO: The win at Udine 12 February 2012)
MILAN – This season, the Rossoneri can boast: The top scorer, the best attack in the country and the most wins away from home. 12 to be exact and here they are:LECCE 3-4 MILAN ROMA 2-3 MILAN GENOA 0-2 MILAN CAGLIARI 0-2 MILAN ATALANTA 0-2 MILAN NOVARA -3 MILAN UDINESE 1-2 MILAN CESENA 1-3 MILAN PALERMO 0-4 MILAN PARMA 0-2 MILAN CHIEVO 0-1 MILAN SIENA 1-4 MILAN
Since there have been 20 teams in the Italian top flight, it was only in the 2004/2005 season (with Nesta and Maldini at the back, Pirlo, Gattuso and Seedorf in the middle and Kakà, Sheva and Crespo up front) that Milan did as well:MILAN 2004-2005: 12 away winsMILAN 2005-2006: 10 away winsMILAN 2006-2007: 7 away winsMILAN 2007-2008: 9 away winsMILAN 2008-2009: 8 away winsMILAN 2009-2010: 8 away winsMILAN 2010-2011: 11 away winsMILAN 2011-2012: 12 away wins (with 1 match yet to play)

MILANO – 41 official games with 33 goals scored. Zlatan Ibrahimovic last season divided his goals up with 13 in the first half of the season (September to December) and 8 in the second half (January to May). This year though, the numbers are more evenly balanced as well as more impressive than ever: 16 goals from September to December and 15 from January to today.This season, there hasn’t been a single month when Ibra scored less than last season:OCTOBER: 2010 2 GOALS - 2011 4 GOALSNOVEMBER: 2010 4 GOALS - 2011 5 GOALSDECEMBER: 2010 2 GOALS - 2011 4 GOALSJANUARY: 2011 5 GOALS - 2012 5 GOALSFEBRUARY: 2011 1 GOAL - 2012 1 GOALMARCH: 2011 0 GOAL - 2012 7 GOALSAPRIL: 2011 1 GOAL - 2012 4 GOALSMAY: 2011 1 GOAL - 2012………….
Compared with the great strikers of the Rossoneri past, Ibra is aiming high with three matches left to play in the season:
GUNNAR NORDAHL, 1950-1951: 39 matches, 38 goalsANDRIY SHEVCHENKO: 2000-2001: 51 matched, 34 goalsZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC: 2011-2012, 41 matches, 33 goalsMARCO VAN BASTEN: 1988-1989, 47 matches, 32 goalsFILIPPO INZAGHI: 2002-2003, 49 matches, 30 goalsOLIVER BIERHOFF: 1998-1999, 37 matches, 21 goals
 

The Allievi Nazionali derby ended 1-0 in Inter’s favor yesterday afternoon at the Vismara sports centre. Eguelfi gave his side the lead on 36’ and despite a powerful reaction from Danesi’s team, that single goal decided the match. Milan remain on top of the table with 51 points, 3 ahead of Inter who have two games in hand.Milan-Inter 0-1
Scorer: Eguelfi.
 
Milan: Vimercati; Rondanini, Lucarini, Iotti, Tamas (55' Galbusera); Di Molfetta, Mastalli (55' Yaffa); Piccinocchi, Pinato, Petagna; Bende Bende.
Caoch: Danesi.
 
Inter: Ivusic; Donkor, Businaro, Di Stefano, Paramatti; Lombardi (55' Bertolino 16), Eguelfi (71' Dalla RIva), Cannataro (50' Gaiola), Moreo (77' Sciacca); Tassi (50' Romano); Ogunseye (56' Pedrabissi).
Caoch: Gatti.
 
Referee: Bertani di Pisa.
Booked: 62' Donkor.

MILAN - adidas presents the new A.C. Milan redandblack jersey for the 2012/2013 season. Once again, a remind to our Italy on the jersey of the most successful Club in the world: high-tech fabrics reminding the Italian flag through a significant chromatic combination. The new communication campaign is deeply inspired by the origins of redandblack colours. The new jersey is going to debut May 2nd for the match against Atalanta.
April 30th 2012 – A cutting-edge communication campaign reminding the origins of AC Milan Club, born in 16th December 1899. The debut of the new redandblack jersey will be set for May 2nd during the match against Atalanta. That’s how adidas and the most successful Club in the world have chosen to present the redandblack jersey for the 2012/13 season. Once again 2 brands,  that represent the excellence in football, have found an innovative way to communicate with all the Rossoneri supporters around  the world and enhance Italian and Milanese roots of A.C. Milan.DesignBack to the wider stripes: 5 in total including 3 black and 2 red. The polo collar is back after three years, with “AC Milan” labeled on its back and the three white stripes are confirmed. The main detail is an Italian flag’s reference, in vertical, between the black and red stripes, and on the front side this detail is recognizable by a green oblique insert, and another one red, interposed with a white neck.TechnologyIn the next season the AC Milan football players will have only one shirt that includes both  TECHFIT ™ and FORMOTION ™ technologies. The new jersey will not have the TPU stripes anymore, but it will still ensure the advantages of the muscle compression thanks to the built-in stretch fabrics, knitted in the T-shirt and thanks to a perfect fit obtainable with the FORMOTION ™ technologyCommunication campaign The idea of this communication campaign, created by TBWA\Italy for adidas, is to rediscover the reasons that 113 years ago inspired Kilpin and all the founders of Milan Cricket and Football Club, by retracing the sites where the story took place.The communication campaign is set by a press campaign of three subjects where players are portrayed in front of three  symbolic sites in Milan (Castello Sforzesco, Colonne di San Lorenzo and San Siro stadium), and an activation on adidas and AC Milan digital platform – through their official websites -   Facebook, Twitter and Youtube, thanks to three viral videos, made on the streets of a very gothic Milan, from the dusk till dawn of the next day. That’s the night, when the most significant moments of AC Milan history took place and unforgettable national and international trophies were won.That’s because in a December night, among the liberty buildings of the historic center of Milan, just a few steps from the Duomo, began the history of AC Milan, in that night Herbert Kilpin said: "We are a team of devils. Our colours are red as fire, and black, to invoke fear in our opponents."The videos show key places in AC Milan history, during this story some details of the new jersey, are revealed, step by step. The Rossoneri fans had to find out on Facebook, like after like, the three episodes and also the day on which the jersey will be fully revealed.

(Adds detail, quotes)

MILAN - The team produced a goal-laden performance at Siena. Enjoy the photos from the 4-1 here

MILAN - The Milan management and players spoke to the press after the win at Siena:ADRIANO GALLIANI"I have not seen the finale because I went in the dressing room at 2-1. Since I did not even see the draw with Bologna and Ibrahimovic's goal and Boateng's goal against Genoa, I have been faithful to superstition. The real regret for this year, I said it to President Berlusconi on the phone, is about Gattuso and Cassano: with the two of them we would have gained some more points, the team has had more injuries than normal. Dr. Tavana was fundamental Antonio and he knows what he has done for him that night. Their embrace was beautiful and meaningful."
ANTONIO NOCERINO"We are all pleased because we played a great game. Hopefully we can keep going and we will see which side wins in the end. I don't know if was my best goal but I am happy to have contributed to the victory. I have always said that the important thing is to win, the rest is just chat. It has been a great year for me but I always look to the team and hopefully I will win a lot with this shirt. We have been unfortunate this year, with a full squad the league would have been already over. They deserve applause if they win but we will not give up until the end. If it doesn't work out then we will try again next season with more even more desire. I am pleased for Antonio and Rino and the most important thing for them is their health. They have has a particular year. Seeing them on the pitch is a victory for us."
IGNAZIO ABATE"We played a good game, we imposed our game and our rhythm. I think today we showed we're a great team there and then we took our chances. We have been patient, we have expanded the game instead of looking for the long ball because we realized that we must do so when the teams are closed like a clam, so we found the gap through the middle because we have a lot of quality. Now it's difficult, it is normal not to give up until the end. We have seen Cassano back as a regular which is a great thing, we are happy for him. When he is free to play with no cares he is a joy to watch. Gattuso is not a new find, he has always been a star who plays with determination. We missed him a lot and we are waiting for him to be back in action for next season.
CHRISTIAN ABBIATI"We kept possession well and we had plenty of chances to score. We took are chances and we did well in keeping control of the game. They got back to 2-1 but we had two more chances to close out the game. We scored good goals today. We are pleased the way Cassano played today but then everyone did well. Nocerino did very well for his goal, dribbling past two players. We won a rebound and finished with a shot in under the bar. He did well. Mathematically we are not out of it, we have to win the next match and see how the opposition get on."
MASSIMILIANO ALLEGRI (press conference)"It was important to win today so we could stay close to Juventus. Now we have to hope they drop some points in these final three games, while we’d have to win them all. There are three matches remaining which makes it tough but we have to hang in there. Then if they finish ahead of us by a point they have been better but in any case Milan have had a good season. Up until now the maths have not counted so we have to keep believing. I have no regrets, the only thing I am disappointed about is that we were without so many players throughout the course of the season to give others a rest."

MILAN - Milan meet Atlanta on Wednesday and ahead of the game the sides have met 50 times at the San Siro with the Rossoneri winning 26, drawing 17 and losing just seven. Milan have scored 101 goals and conceded 48.The sides last met on Febraury 28, 2010 as Atalanta were in Serie B last season. Milan ran out 3-1 winners with Pato scoring twice and the other goal coming from Borriello. The was 3-0 the year before that with Inzaghi on the mark with a hat-trick.Atalanta's last success came the previous year when they won 2-1. On that day, Paolo Maldini was on the scoresheet but Floccari and Langella scored for the visitors.There was a memorable 3-3 draw in 2003 when Milan were 3-0 down but fought back with Inzaghi scoring twice and Tomasson the other. It was also 3-3 in 2000-01 and this time Milan were trailing 3-1 but Bierhoff and Shevchenko got them back on level terms.Previous results:
MILAN-ATALANTA 3-3 (2000-2001): Serginho, Bierhoff, Shevchenko
MILAN-ATALANTA 0-0 (2001-2002)
MILAN-ATALANTA 3-3 (2002-2003): Inzaghi, Tomasson, Inzaghi
MILAN-ATALANTA 3-0 (2004-2005): Tomasson, Kaladze, Serginho
MILAN-ATALANTA 1-0 (2006-2007): Ambrosini
MILAN-ATALANTA 1-2 (2007-2008): Maldini
MILAN-ATALANTA 3-0 (2008/2009): Inzaghi, Inzaghi, Inzaghi
MILAN-ATALANTA 3-1 (2009/2010): Pato, Pato, Borriello