Sunday’s Serie A action rounds off with a blockbuster fixture between severely punished Juventus and top-four bidders Atalanta at the Allianz Stadium. The sides will meet in contrasting circumstances, particularly in light of recent events in Turin.
Juventus slipped to a nightmarish 5-1 defeat at runaway Serie A leaders Napoli last time out, the first time they’ve conceded five times in a top-flight game since 1993. Like that wasn’t humiliating enough, the record-time Italian champions suffered another massive setback on Saturday.
According to BBC, Juventus have been docked 15 points following an investigation into the club’s shady deals under Andrea Angelli’s command. The bombshell of such a brutal punishment has shunted the Bianconeri out of European spots, pinning them to mid-table, 12 points adrift of the Champions League zone.
As they look to ascend a top-four logjam and work their way back into the Champions League placings, visiting Atalanta have built a significant head of steam in the build-up to this trip. Gian Piero Gasperini’s men became the first side to score eight times in a Serie A match in 27 years in last weekend’s 8-2 humbling of Salernitana.
Reluctant to rest on their laurels, Atalanta demolished Spezia 5-2 in midweek Coppa Italia action and will take the field in a buoyant mood. Level on points with fourth-placed Lazio and bolstered by Juventus’ point deduction, La Dea could solidify their top-four hopes with another win in Turin.
Preview
Juventus
A 2-1 home win over Monza in midweek Coppa Italia action was a rare positive in otherwise turbulent times for Massimiliano Allegri’s side. Having won their last five Serie A home outings without conceding, Juventus can find the courage to bounce back from an overnight shock and tip an evenly-balanced nine-game H2H league record against Atalanta into their favor (W2, D7, L2).
Not long ago, Allegri was crucified by Juventus fans. But with the Bianconeri boasting the best defensive record in Serie A (12 goals conceded), it feels he’s the only man capable of guiding the Turin heavyweights through these uncertain times. An impressive 25-game Serie A home form against Atalanta (W18, D6, L1) should aid his cause.
Player to Watch: Federico Chiesa
With several high-profile first-team absences, the scoring burden may again fall on Federico Chiesa, who notched a brilliant winner against Monza on Thursday. The Italian winger registered his first Serie A start in 369 days against Napoli last time out, so he’ll be keen to impress on his return.
Atalanta
Atalanta ran out 1-0 victors in this corresponding fixture in 2021/22, courtesy of Duvan Zapata’s winner. That victory forms part of their eye-catching five-match unbeaten run against Juventus in Serie A (W2, D3), with history beckoning for La Dea.
Should they avoid defeat on Sunday, Atalanta will go unbeaten in six consecutive Serie A meetings with Juventus for only the second time in their top-flight history, last achieving that feat between 1963 and 1966. And after only losing one of their six away league contests in the build-up to this trip (W2, D2), they’ll have every right to be optimistic.
Player to Watch: Ademola Lookman
Fresh from netting a brace against Spezia on Thursday, Leicester City loanee Ademola Lookman is in line to become only the fourth Atalanta player to bag 10+ goals after 19 appearances of their first top-flight campaign.
Team News
Juventus cannot catch a break this season. While Dusan Vlahovic and Juan Cuadrado have recently returned to full training, Adrien Rabiot has picked up an injury and will not be available for selection.
The same goes for club captain Leonardo Bonucci, first-choice right-back Mattia De Sciglio, and marquee summer signing Paul Pogba.
Unlike a packed treatment room in Turin, Atalanta will have everyone but Teun Koopmeiners, who serves a yellow-card suspension, ready for this trip. The availability of Zapata and Davide Zappacosta remains questionable, but both players are expected to make the bench at least.
Juventus vs Atalanta Potential Lineups
Juventus (3-5-1-1): Wojciech Szczesny; Danilo, Gleison Bremer, Alex Sandro; Weston McKennie, Nicolo Fagioli, Manuel Locatelli, Fabio Miretti, Filip Kostic; Angel Di Maria; Arkadiusz Milik.
Atalanta (3-4-1-2): Juan Musso; Rafael Toloi, Jose Luis Palomino, Giorgio Scalvini; Hans Hateboer, Marten De Roon, Mario Pasalic, Matteo Ruggeri; Ederson; Ademola Lookman, Rasmus Hojlund.
Juventus vs Atalanta Prediction
Given off-field disarray and an overpopulated injury list, it’s hard to back Juventus to overcome high-flying Atalanta with any real conviction.
Instead, we’re more inclined to give the visitors the upper hand, though a draw, a common theme in the recent Serie A encounters between these two teams, emerges as the likeliest outcome.
Prediction: Draw
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