A high-stake encounter between fifth-placed Atalanta and fourth-placed Juventus at the Gewiss Stadium will serve to close Sunday’s Serie A action out. Only two points separate the sides ahead of the kick-off, with Juve boss Massimiliano Allegri already deeming this fixture a ‘direct clash for a fourth place.’
Coming into this matchday, Atalanta fell to a 3-2 home defeat to Fiorentina in midweek Coppa Italia action despite leading 2-1 midway through the second half and being a man up. Gian Piero Gasperini’s men are having a hard time as they are now winless in their last four outings across all competitions (D2, L2).
By contrast, Juventus’ 1-0 loss in the reverse fixture in Turin served as a wake-up call for Allegri’s side. The record-time Italian champions head into proceedings unbeaten in their last ten Serie A matches (W7, D3), including a comfortable 2-0 victory over mid-table Hellas Verona last time out.
Atalanta vs Juventus Head-to-Head
After Duvan Zapata fired Atalanta to a 1-0 triumph at the Allianz Stadium earlier this season, they could register their first-ever league double over Juventus. La Dea have won both previous Serie A meetings with the Bianconeri, already their longest-ever winning streak against this opposition.
While another win would see Atalanta become the first side since Parma between 2010 and 2011 to beat Juventus in three consecutive Serie A matches, they could also defeat the Turin heavyweights twice in a row at home for the first time since 1955. Adding to their confidence, they are unbeaten in five of their last five top-flight H2Hs in Bergamo (W1, D3, L1).
But regardless of the outcome, this could be an exciting, high-scoring encounter as three of those five encounters witnessed 4+ goals and both teams on the scoresheet. Indeed, each of those four draws yielded an identical 2-2 scoreline.
Atalanta Preview
Following a lacklustre 2-1 home defeat to relegation-battling Cagliari last time out, Atalanta could lose back-to-back Serie A home games for the first time since November 2019. Ominously, the last time they experienced such a feat, both losses came at the hands of Cagliari and Juventus of all teams.
But while they face the prospect of suffering two consecutive Serie A losses for the first time since October 2020, Gasperini is aiming to beat his Juventus counterpart Allegri twice on the trot for only the second time in his managerial career. Another success would be a massive step towards Atalanta’s fourth successive top-four finish in Serie A.
Club-record signing Jeremie Boga, who got off the mark against Fiorentina in midweek with a delightful solo goal, could be central to the home side’s hopes of winning. With Atalanta scoring just once in their last three Serie A outings, they will need the ex-Sassuolo star to shine bright.
Juventus Preview
As mentioned before, Juventus are enjoying a ten-game unbeaten streak in Serie A (W7, D3), with six of those seven wins featuring an identical 2-0 scoreline. Interestingly, Allegri’s side scored either side of half-time in all seven victories, showing they could pose a threat whenever they are given enough space.
Juventus have kept a clean sheet in two of their last three Serie A away matches, taking their shutout tally for the season to 11, at home and on the road. Only Napoli (13) boast more blank sheets in Italy’s top-flight this term, while only the Partenopei (16) and Inter (20) have conceded fewer goals than Juve (21) so far.
The blockbuster arrival of Dusan Vlahovic for Fiorentina is already paying dividends at the other end of the pitch. After scoring on his Serie A debut for Juventus, the Serb slotted home a late winning to catapult the Bianconeri past Sassuolo in midweek Coppa Italia clash.
Atalanta vs Juventus Predicted Lineups
Atalanta (3-4-3): Francesco Rossi; Rafael Toloi, Berat Djimsiti, Merih Demiral; Joakim Maehle, Marten de Roon, Remo Freuler, Davide Zappacosta; Ruslan Malinovskyi, Jeremie Boga, Luis Muriel.
Juventus (4-4-2): Wojciecj Szczesny; Mattia De Sciglio, Matthijs de Ligt, Leonardo Bonucci, Danilo; Adrien Rabiot, Manuel Locatelli, Denis Zakaria; Paulo Dybala, Alvaro Morata, Dusan Vlahovic.