Serie A Preview: Juventus vs Atalanta – Team News, Line-ups & Prediction | OneFootball

Allianz Stadium forms the backdrop for a high-stakes, heavyweight Serie A showdown between Scudetto hopefuls Juventus and Atalanta. There’s no margin for error after Inter’s comeback against Monza last night, as both teams need three points to stay in the title picture.

Dropping out of the Champions League and Coppa Italia could prove a blessing in disguise for Juventus amid their quest to snap a five-year title drought in Serie A. Indeed, Thiago Motta’s men head into proceedings on a five-game winning league streak, bookended by a 2-0 home victory against relegation-battling Hellas Verona on Monday.

Second-half goals from Khephren Thuram and Teun Koopmeiners inspired Juventus to a crucial victory, steering them within a six-point distance from pacesetters Inter pre-round. However, Inter’s win against Monza has stretched that gap to nine points, highlighting the importance of beating third-placed Atalanta here.

Gian Piero Gasperini’s side squandered a golden chance to close the gap on Inter last weekend as second-from-bottom Venezia held them to a scoreless draw in Bergamo. As a result, they head into proceedings six points adrift of the Nerazzurri, seeking redemption for slumps in the Champions League and Coppa Italia.

Like Juventus, Atalanta no longer have to deal with other distractions and can instead concentrate on bringing home a first-ever Scudetto. Beating Juventus would take them closer to achieving that remarkable feat on a landmark occasion for Gasperini.

The veteran manager will equal Milan icon Nils Liedholm as the coach with the second-most matches (332) in charge of a single team in Serie A history.

Match Preview

Juventus

Despite piecing together a promising-looking five-game winning run in Serie A, it’s worth noting that four of those five wins came against teams from the bottom half of the table. Therefore, Juventus would be naive to let their apparent domestic renaissance make them think this would be a walk in the park.

However, they remain a team to beat in Serie A and head into proceedings as the only side in Italy’s top flight yet to lose a home match this season (W7, D7). Such a high volume of draws has curtailed Juventus’ Scudetto ambitions, with their 13-game stalemate tally a comfortable league-high ahead of this round.

Another share of the spoils looks likely, not least because five of Juve’s last six home league meetings with Atalanta have ended level (L1). But Juventus will seek a more favorable outcome, buoyed by an incredible record of just two defeats from their last 40 league encounters against La Dea at any venue (W25, D13).

Atalanta

These are troubled times for Atalanta as they entered this round having won just one of their last five games in all competitions (D2, L2). Both draws ominously arrived in Serie A and yielded an unpopular 0-0 scoreline, contributing to La Dea’s joint-best defensive run in top-flight action this century.

Indeed, Gasperini’s charges have kept four consecutive Serie A clean sheets for the first time since 2000 and could make it five in a row for the first time since 1997. However, they’ve only shut Juventus out once in an away league match since the turn of the new millennium, highlighting the magnitude of the task awaiting them this weekend.

The traveling fans won’t lose hope, knowing Atalanta’s 30-point haul on the road remains Serie A’s best this season (W9, D3, L2). Furthermore, the visitors have won their last three league matches on the road, including back-to-back 5-0 victories over Empoli and Verona on their two most recent travels.

Team News

Juventus will miss several crucial first-team components for this season-defining fixture. In addition to long-term absentees, Arkadiusz Milik, Juan Cabal and Gleison Bremer, Nicolo Savona, Francisco Conceicao, and Douglas Luiz are unavailable for selection. Randal Kolo Muani should get the nod in attack despite going a month without a goal.

Meanwhile, Atalanta will take this trip without Gianluca Scamacca, Odilon Kossounou, and Giorgio Scalvini. Ex-Bologna defender Stefan Posh is also out with a minor fitness problem. However, Isak Hien should start despite recent injury concerns, while Ademola Lookman and Mateo Retegui will likely lead the line.

Juventus vs Atalanta Potential Starting Line-ups

Juventus (4-2-3-1): Di Gregorio; Weah, Kalulu, Kelly, Cambiaso; Thuram, Locatelli; McKennie, Koopmeiners, Gonzalez; Kolo Muani.

Atalanta (3-4-2-1): Carnesecchi; Djimsiti, Hien, Kolasinac; Bellanova, De Roon, Ederson, Zappacosta; Pasalic, Lookman; Retegui.

Juventus vs Atalanta Prediction

Small details could determine the fate of this ‘make or break’ contest, and given Atalanta’s nasty habit of fluffing their lines in pivotal exchanges, we back Juventus to take three points.