On Thursday night, Atalanta put themselves in the driver seat on the back of a 3-2 win over Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg of the Europa League round of 16. Curiously, all of La Dea’s three goals came thanks to the magical collaboration between the attacking duo of Luis Muriel and Ruslan Malinovskyi. The Colombian provided the assist for the Ukrainian on the first occasion, and the latter returned the favor on two occasions. So on the back of a stunning performance from the couple, it’s the perfect time to identify the Top five striking partnerships in Serie A.
5- Tammy Abraham – Nicolò Zaniolo (Roma)
Perhaps these two aren’t your conventional attacking duo with Zaniolo mostly starting on the right wing, but the versatile Italian has all the makings of a fabulous second striker, thanks to his vision, technique and knack for goals.
On the other hand, Abraham swiftly entered the hearts of Roma supporters following his summer transfer, filling the major gap left by Edin Dzeko’s departure.
José Mourinho is obviously building his plans upon the shoulders of these two young stars – unless a too familiar force manages to lure one of them away from the Eternal City.
4- Giovanni Simeone – Gianluca Caprari (Verona)
At the start of the campaign, this would have been considered the most unlikely combination, as both players had been struggling to make a resounding impact in Calcio.
And yet, Simeone and Caprari both found their niche at Verona, forming one of the most clinical striking partnerships in Serie A.
The Argentine already has 15 league goals to his name, while the Italian scored 10 all while displaying fabulous performances as a supporting striker.
3- Luis Muriel – Ruslan Malinovskyi (Atalanta)
Even though Duvan Zapata remains the ultimate star in Atalanta’s attack, there’s a special bond between Muriel and Malinovskyi on the pitch.
These two can pick up one another even with a sea of defenders separating them. As explained in the introduction, their performance on Thursday says it all about their magnificent chemistry.
2- Edin Dzeko – Lautaro Martinez (Inter)
Last season, Inter possessed one of the best striking partnerships not just in Serie A, but on the European stage.
Following, Romelu Lukaku’s return to Chelsea, the Italian champions did well to replace him with the vastly experienced Edin Dzeko, who became Lautaro’s new partner in crime.
But despite a strong start, the duet are yet to recapture the magic of the awkwardly nicknamed “LuLa” partnership.
However, these two remain a force to be reckoned with.
1- Dusan Vlahovic – Paulo Dybala (Juventus)
Perhaps it’s slightly anti-climatic to pick a pair that barely played side-by-side, but truth to be told, it’s hard to imagine a more complimentary attacking duo than Dusan Vlahovic and Paulo Dybala.
While the first is arguably the best bomber in the league (and the current leader of the Capocannoniere race), the second is simply the best number 10 in Italian football when fit.
Following the Serbian’s groundbreaking January transfer from Fiorentina to Juventus, it only took the two 13 minutes to combine for their first goal, and the Bianconeri supporters will be hoping for many more to come.