After their midweek European foray, AC Milan are back in Serie A action on Sunday evening as they take on Atalanta at San Siro.

The 4-0 win over RB Salzburg on Thursday night certainly set a new bar in terms of the performance level, but domestically Ruben Amorim and his team need to find a way to turn draws into wins in order to keep pace at the top of the table.

The Rossoneri face an Atalanta team who have had a mixed start under Maurizio Sarri in the most literal sense of the phrase, with three wins and three losses in six games. The media can’t agree on what line-up Milan will field which makes picking key battles tough, but we have had a go anyway.

AC Milan vs. Atalanta: The five key battles

We start with the man of the moment, Alphadjo Cisse, who is expected to be rewarded for his performance on Thursday night by getting a start today. The 19-year-old scored a perfect hat-trick against Salzburg (header, right foot, left foot) and was the star of the show, prompting Amorim to put faith in him from minute one.

His opponent will be compatriot Raoul Bellanova, a full-back who was previously on Milan’s books as a youngster. Given Cisse likes to start wide and cut inside, the Italian will have to track his movements closely and perhaps even get some help from Thomas Kristensen at times.

Speaking of compatriots, there will be a midfield duel between Luka Modric and Mario Pasalic. Modric remains at the heart of Amorim’s plans even at the age of 41, given that he is the most important pivot in the build-up and also remains a screen for the defence, whether that is a back three or a back four.

Pasalic meanwhile is someone that the Rossoneri know well from his time on loan at Chelsea in 2016-17, and he is now in his ninth season as an Atalanta player. He has a knack for scoring goals with late runs into the box, so Milan will have to watch out for that.

The other intriguing midfield contest is the one between Adrien Rabiot and Charles De Ketelaere. He needs little introduction, but the six goal contributions – evenly split between goals and assists – in eight games this season are a very fitting statistic to demonstrate just how important Rabiot has been as the box-to-box man for Amorim.

On the flip side, De Ketelaere is the man who will be tasked with trying to create danger for La Dea in the attacking midfield role. Again he is someone that Milan are aware of given he flopped after his €35m move, but Atalanta has been a good home for him and he has a couple of assists this season.

We end with the battles involving the club-record signings. Jonathan Rowe is technically not that yet for the Nerazzurri, but he is on loan with an obligation to buy from Bologna in a deal that could hit €40m, which means he will soon be their most expensive ever player. The issue is he has struggled so far, with no goals or assists in his three appearances across all competitions.

His pace and directness will be a real weapon in transition for Atalanta though, and that is why Mario Gila is again the key man in defence for Milan. The Spaniard has been excellent since his arrival, and his tenacity and reading of the game will hopefully make it another tough night for Rowe.

At the other end, Goncalo Ramos will look to build on the goal he scored in the rout of Salzburg. Having come off the bench he netted the fourth to add some gloss to the scoreline, and now Amorim will hope that he can contribute with a goal in the league that perhaps has a bit more significance in terms of the result.

Given the injury crisis that Atalanta are battling in defence, it seems logical for the Portuguese No.9 to target Sead Kolisanic, who is expected to be converted from full-back the left-sided centre-back for this one. It is an emergency solution for Sarri, and something the Diavolo should try to exploit.