Atalanta compared to Leicester City as Scudetto race heats up | OneFootball

Serie A side Atalanta have been compared to Leicester City as La Dea are involved in the Serie A title race and took the top spot after Round 15.

The Serie A title race is heating up already with several clubs fighting for the Scudetto, including defending champions Inter.

Atalanta, the Europa League winners in 2023-24, are one of the teams to watch this term.

La Dea have never won a Serie A title and are seen as an underdog in 2025-26. Italian journalist Luca Calamai recently compared the Nerazzurri to Claudio Ranieri’s legendary Leicester City side, the Premier League champions in 2015-16.

“Atalanta lost against Real Madrid, but it is understandable because Madrid have top players like Vinicius, Mbappé and Bellingham who we don’t have in Italy,” the journalist said.

“Nevertheless, Atalanta proved to be the most in-form Italian team and the most dynamic. They continously hit back at Real Madrid, and they have gained international status.”

BERGAMO, ITALY – DECEMBER 10: Gian Piero Gasperini, Head Coach of Atalanta, watches on during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD6 match between Atalanta BC and Real Madrid C.F. at Stadio di Bergamo on December 10, 2024 in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

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“Gian Piero Gasperini is the real added value, as he’s creating a clear identity. A new generation of coaches will try to copy his ideas,” continued Calamai.

“Furthermore, you can breathe the Leicester air this season, and there could be a big surprise,” concluded the Italian journalist.

Gasperini has been discussing Atalanta’s title ambitions but has been urging his players to focus on one game at a time.

“We have to focus on winning every game we can, and the rest is not really in our minds,” he said at the end of November after a 3-1 win over Atalanta.

“That was the case in the Europa League too, we didn’t start out thinking we’d win it, but as time wore on and we found ourselves in that position, we weren’t going to hold back either.”

Not even a recent Champions League loss to Real Madrid affected La Dea’s mood.

“There are many positives, it is motivation to keep improving. We were moving the ball around too slowly and Real Madrid closed up well, so we had to speed it up and pull them out of shape,” Gasperini said after the match.

“We held the initiative well and could’ve been more dangerous in front of goal, but it was a real teachable experience for us, that is for sure. We’re sad to have lost after a long run of positive results and we know that we had the chance to equalise.”