Gewiss Stadium sets the stage for the first Serie A meeting between resurgent Atalanta and newly-promoted Como since May 2003. The opposing teams enter Monday’s showdown in Bergamo with contrasting spirits.
Atalanta headed into September’s international break as a wracked ship on the back of back-to-back league defeats, including a 4-0 rout at the hands of defending champions Inter. However, renowned tactician Gian Piero Gasperini has used the two-week hiatus to steady the ship and bring La Dea back on the rails.
Despite falling behind twice inside the opening 35 minutes of their home encounter against Fiorentina last weekend, Atalanta posted a confidence-boosting 3-2 victory, turning things around before halftime. Buoyed by an exceptional comeback against La Viola, the Europa League winners nearly took another big scalp during the week.
David Raya’s heroics between the sticks were the only reason Arsenal left Bergamo unscathed on Thursday. The Spanish goalkeeper denied Mateo Retegui from the spot and parried away the rebound to hold Atalanta to a 0-0 draw at the beginning of their first Champions League campaign since 2021/22.
Como watched from afar, with Cesc Fabregas preparing tactics for Monday’s trip to the Gewiss Stadium after swallowing a bitter pill last weekend. His side threw away a two-goal cushion as Bologna scored twice beyond the 70th minute to cancel Patrick Cutrone’s brace in a goal-glutted 2-2 stalemate at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia.
Winless after the first four Serie A rounds (D2, L2), Como will be out to build on an encouraging performance against Vincenzo Italiano’s team and potentially stun their more heavily fancied hosts.
Match Preview
Atalanta
Thursday’s game of few chances marked Atalanta’s first scoreless draw since October 2023. However, Gasperini’s men have earned a tag as ‘entertainment producers’ in the early stage of the 2024/25 Serie A season. Their four league fixtures have featured an average of four goals per game, highlighting the potential for a high-scoring contest.
Atalanta would likely come out on top of such an affair, given their sterling track record against Serie A newcomers. La Dea won all three home league clashes against promoted clubs last season by an aggregate score of 9-0. Despite his missed penalty in midweek European action, Retegui is firing on all cylinders, increasing the likelihood of another routine win.
The Italy international has bagged four goals in his first four Serie A appearances for Atalanta. Furthermore, Ademola Lookman was on fire in his maiden league outing of 2024/25. The Nigerian winger tallied a goal and an assist in his match-winning performance against Fiorentina.
Como
Though it’s still an early season, Como have quickly got used to fighting their top-flight battles on hostile turf. Three of their opening four league games came on the road, albeit without much success. Except for a 1-1 draw at Cagliari, they lost their other two away matches without scoring.
But after breaking the deadlock for the first time in 11 competitive outings against Bologna last time out, there’s hope around Fabregas’ camp ahead of this trip. The Spaniard has a lot on his plate amidst a winless league start, but there’s one crucial area of concern requiring his attention.
Lapses of concentration toward halftime have seen Como concede on each of their four road trips across all competitions this season. That ominous pattern led to three defeats (D1) and has become a significant point of vulnerability that their opponents are keen to exploit.
Team News
Long-term absentees Rafael Toloi and Giorgio Scalvini are still out of contention. Ben Godfrey will likely sit this game out with a back injury, while Gianluca Scamacca recently returned to training. However, this game will come too soon for the Italian striker.
As for Como, marquee summer arrival Raphael Varane is still out with a nasty knee injury. Federico Barba is keeping him company in the treatment room, but Fabregas has the rest of his squad fit and read for this trip.
Atalanta vs Como Potential Line-ups
Atalanta (3-4-3): Marco Carnesecchi; Sead Kolasinac, Isak Hien, Berat Djimsiti; Davide Zappacosta, Marten de Roon, Ederson, Matteo Ruggeri; Ademola Lookman, Charles De Ketelaere, Mateo Retegui.
Como (4-2-3-1): Emil Audero; Alberto Moreno, Marc-Oliver Kempf, Alberto Dossena, Alessio Iovine; Sergi Roberto, Maximo Perrone; Luca Mazzitelli, Nico Paz, Gabriel Strefezza; Patrick Cutrone.
Atalanta vs Como Prediction
This game has all the makings of a ‘David vs Goliath’ clash, though Como deserve the benefit of the doubt after their inspiring performance against Bologna. However, we believe the visitors are out of their depth here and back Atalanta to steamroll to another league victory.
Prediction: Atalanta to Win
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