What better way to get Sunday’s Serie A action underway than a blockbuster contest between fifth-placed Atalanta and third-placed Juventus? Despite the home side’s position in the standings, the upcoming encounter in Bergamo has all the makings of a ‘top-four six-pointer.’
After three consecutive league wins, including a come-from-behind 3-2 victory over Spezia in midweek Serie A action, Atalanta’s bid to return to the Champions League after a season-long absence is back on the rails. Gian Piero Gasperini’s men have won their last two league outings at the Gewiss Stadium to whittle down the gap on a coveted fourth place to only two points.
However, with fourth-placed Inter also hitting a rich vein of form and Roma and Milan in the mix as well, every point could make a difference in this breathtaking race for Champions League qualification. The latter two are level on points with Atalanta at the start of this round, highlighting the importance of fending off Juventus in Serie A for the seventh time on the bounce (W2, L4).
Unlike their hosts, Massimiliano Allegri’s lads wouldn’t mind sharing the spoils, as was the case in an action-packed 3-3 draw in the reverse fixture at the Allianz Stadium. After the court abolished their 15-point deduction, Juventus are back to third in the Serie A table, five points clear of Atalanta. But the record-time Italian champions cannot find much comfort in their recent run of form.
Leandro Paredes and Dusan Vlahovic were on the scoresheet before halftime to help the Bianconeri topple bottom-half Lecce 2-1 at home on Wednesday and arrest a rotten four-game winless league streak (D1, L3). Yet to say Juve’s performance in that win flattered to deceive in that contest would be an understatement, considering Marco Baroni’s side wasted multiple chances in the second half.
Match Preview
Atalanta
There’s a piece of history up for grabs on Sunday for Atalanta as they could go unbeaten in seven consecutive meetings with Juventus in Serie A for the first time. Gasperini’s men will take the field in high spirits, having won three of their last four league outings at home (L1) despite failing to keep a clean sheet on each occasion. That suggests they’ve rediscovered their scoring touch at the most opportune moment.
Seeking a fourth straight Serie A win for the first time since December 2021, La Dea can draw confidence from picking up a league-high 16 points in the last seven matchdays (W5, D1, L1). However, whether the hosts can continue outscoring their rivals is open for debate after they’ve registered just one clean sheet across their last 11 matches, conceding 2+ goals five times in this run.
Player to Watch: Duvan Zapata
After his late winner helped Atalanta sink Torino 2-1 last weekend, Zapata will be looking to maintain his impressive scoring record against Turin clubs. He has netted six league goals against Juventus since his maiden Serie A season in 2013/14, with only Giovanni Simeone bagging as many against Bianconeri in that sequence.
Juventus
An underwhelming five-match winless run in all competitions (D2, L3) will unlikely inspire much confidence in the visiting camp. What’s even more concerning for Juventus is that they scored one goal or fewer in all five games, highlighting an underperforming frontline as the team’s weak link. That’s particularly ominous, given that they’ve netted just once on their last two Serie A visits to Bergamo (D1, L1).
Allegri’s men have developed a nasty habit of dropping points against the Serie A elite. They have suffered four defeats in their last six top-flight encounters against teams starting the round in the top seven (W1, D1). If that’s not enough to dampen the optimism among the Juventus faithful, the club’s worst away campaign in Serie A (W7, D3, L6) could.
Player to Watch: Dusan Vlahovic
Vlahovic broke a woeful 11-game scoring drought in Serie A on Wednesday and will be looking to build on that this weekend. He has scored a couple of league braces against Atalanta, so enthusiasm should not be in short supply.
Team News
Simone Muratore, Hans Hateboer, and Matteo Ruggeri are unavailable for selection at Atalanta. But Gasperini remains hopeful of welcoming star forwards Ademola Lookman and Rasmus Hojlund back to the fold for this mouth-watering fixture.
As for Juventus, Mattia De Sciglio picked up a knee injury against Lecce and will have to stay on the sidelines for the foreseeable future. Paredes, who scored a sublime free-kick in that match, accumulated yellow cards and won’t be in contention for the matchday squad.
Atalanta vs Juventus Potential Lineups
Atalanta (3-4-1-2): Juan Musso; Berat Djimsiti, Rafael Toloi, Giorgio Scalvini; Davide Zappacosta, Teun Koopmeiners, Marten de Roon, Joakim Maehle; Mario Pasalic; Luis Muriel, Duvan Zapata.
Juventus (3-5-1-1): Wojciech Szczesny; Federico Gatti, Gleison Bremer, Danilo; Federico Chiesa, Nicolo Fagioli, Manuel Locatelli, Adrien Rabiot, Filip Kostic; Angel Di Maria; Dusan Vlahovic.
Atalanta vs Juventus Prediction
Despite claiming a morale-boosting win on Wednesday, Juventus look in far worse shape than Atalanta. Inspired by an eye-catching upturn in form and raucous home support, Gasperini’s men are seemingly in a prime position to make history on Sunday.
Prediction: Atalanta Win
 |
Follow us on Google News for more updates on Serie A and Italian football |