Unbeaten Atalanta will play host to Serie A rivals Sassuolo on Saturday night in an effort to get back to winning ways after dropping points for just the third time this season.
La Dea, which is currently second in the standings despite losing two points to Udinese in their top-three matchup last week, watched as the visitors were defeated by Inter at home.
Atalanta has never been undefeated at this point in a Serie A season, and they have surpassed 20 points after nine rounds despite drawing their most recent match.
The Bergamo club is once again flying high close to the top of the Serie A table after it seemed their recent run of success had come to an end. Coach Gian Piero Gasperini has led his revitalised team to second place, trailing league leaders Napoli by just two points.
In fact, if they had held onto a two-goal advantage last week after Ademola Lookman and Luis Muriel had given them the upper hand in an unusually high-stakes match with Serie A’s surprise team Udinese, they would still be level with the Partenopei.
Atalanta lost an away game for the first time this season after conceding twice in the final half-hour, but they still have the joint-best defensive record in the Italian top division after allowing just five league goals.
Such a performance up to this point is perhaps all the more surprising given the Nerazzurri’s history of central defender absences, which has presented Gasperini with particular difficulties given his preference for playing three defenders at the back.
Even though Sassuolo’s preferred goalkeeper Juan Musso has recently been absent, the home team still comes into Saturday’s late kickoff as heavy favourites to win.
Atalanta last lost to Emilian at home in Bergamo in April 2017. Since then, they have won each of their last five home games against them, scoring at least twice each time. In fact, Sassuolo has given up at least one goal in each of their previous 15 trips to La Dea’s headquarters, scoring an average of 2.7 goals per contest.
But more recently, Alessio Dionisi’s team triumphed in the teams’ most recent meeting, a 2-1 victory in April, snapping a 15-game losing streak in this contest.
Despite having three wins, three draws, and one loss so far this season, the Neroverdi began last week’s match against Inter ahead of their Milanese rivals on goal differential.
They were able to tie the score in Domenico Berardi’s absence due to injury, and they had hopes of pulling off a sensational victory thanks to Davide Frattesi, a highly regarded midfielder, but they ultimately lost due to Edin Dzeko’s two goals.
Although Sassuolo’s stellar defensive start to the season was marred by conceding twice at the Mapei Stadium, they have still kept a clean sheet in each of their last two away games. With five so far, they have already amassed two more than they did the entire previous campaign.
Roberto De Zerbi, the new Brighton manager, led the Emilians to their last three-in-a-row performance in late 2020, and he will be looking to match that accomplishment on Saturday.
Atalanta wingback Hans Hateboer must now serve a suspension after receiving a second caution last weekend, leaving a void on the hosts’ right flank. As a result, Brandon Soppy could be inserted back into the lineup or Joakim Maehle could be switched from the left; if Davide Zappacosta is declared fit to return from injury, that is another option.
Young defenders Caleb Okoli and Giorgio Scalvini should reclaim their starting positions as Rafael Toloi, the team’s captain, rejoins Palomino and Berat Djimsiti on the sidelines.
Star striker Duvan Zapata and starting goalkeeper Juan Musso are also out, so Luis Muriel will try to score his 100th Serie A goal in Duvan Zapata’s place. Muriel may score in consecutive games for the first time since April after scoring goal number 99 last time out against former club Udinese.
Andrea Pinamonti, who now has played 365 minutes against Atalanta in Serie A without netting a goal, will be in charge of the visiting team’s attack.
Domenico Berardi, who has been missing from the Sassuolo squad since just before the international break because he hasn’t fully recovered from a muscle injury, is also not available, as are Mert Muldur, Hamed Traore, and Gregoire Defrel.
Despite losing the last time out, Alessio Dionisi plans to use his tried-and-true 4-3-3 formation and might even start with the same lineup.
Atalanta BC possible starting lineup:
Sportiello; Scalvini, Demiral, Okoli; Soppy, De Roon, Koopmeiners, Maehle; Ederson; Lookman, Luis Muriel
Sassuolo possible starting lineup:
Consigli; Toljan, Erlic, Ferrari, Rogerio; Frattesi, Lopez, Thorstvedt; Ceide, Andrea Pinamonti, Lauriente
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