Atalanta welcomes Juventus to the Gewiss Stadium in a six-pointer in the race for a top-four finish in the Serie A this season.
Italian giants Atalanta and Juventus face off this Sunday in a clash that could have huge implications on both sides’ hopes of finishing in the top four of the Serie A this season.
As things stand, the Bianconeri currently hold onto the final Champions League spot and have a two-point lead over Atalanta, who are fifth. However, Massimiliano Allegri’s side has played a game more than La Dea and could be brought back to earth should they experience defeat on the night.
Atalanta can overtake Juventus should they win on the night and yet have a game in hand over the Old Lady. Gian Piero Gasperini’s side have struggled since the turn of the year and have fallen away in the title race. Unless results pick up soon, they could very well find themselves falling further down the league table.
On the other hand, Juventus continue to go from strength to strength. Allegri’s men continued to churn out results and strengthened in January by bringing in Dusan Vlahovic and Denis Zakaria. The duo could provide the impetus needed for Allegri and co. to make that final push for a spot at Europe’s top table.
Atalanta are coming off consecutive defeats against Cagliari and Fiorentina in the league and the Coppa Italia, respectively. La Dea have won just thrice at home all season in the league, and Juventus will go into the tie feeling pretty good about their chances. It promises to be an interesting game with much on the line for both sides.
The Hard Tackle looks at how both sides could line up on the night and what tactics they might employ.
Team News & Tactics
Atalanta
? Questi i 20 nerazzurri convocati per #AtalantaJuve!
? Here's our squad list for tomorrow!Presented by @intesasanpaolo #SerieATIM #GoAtalantaGo ⚫️? pic.twitter.com/CliNJeivhE
— Atalanta B.C. (@Atalanta_BC) February 12, 2022
Gasperini’s side have had Juventus’s number of late and have defeated the Bianconeri the last two times. However, this time it is likely to be a bigger challenge.
Atalanta will go into the game without Duvan Zapata, their ace striker, who is now out for the season. His injury was a major blow for the Italians and took away considerable bite from their frontline. Gasperini will also be without Aleksey Miranchuk, who is injured and Juan Musso, who is suspended. They are also sweating on the fitness of Jose Luis Palomino and Giuseppe Pezzella, both of who failed to make the squad.
La Dea are currently winless in four and have an abject home record. The last time they lost consecutive home games in Serie A was in 2019 when they suffered reverses against Cagliari and Juventus. Gasperini’s side fell to Cagliari last weekend, and the omens do not look good as they prepare to welcome Juventus tomorrow.
Atalanta are likely to line up in the 3-4-2-1 system that has brought them much success in recent seasons. With Musso out, Marco Sportiello looks set to start in goal, behind the back three of Berat Djimsiti, Merih Demiral and Rafael Toloi. Joakim Maehle and Davide Zappacosta will start as the wing-backs and carry the ball forward on the night.
Remo Freuler and Marten de Roon will provide the presence in the middle of the pitch and cut off service to Vlahovic. With the Serbian now at Juventus, Paulo Dybala is likely to assume the playmaker’s role and drop deeper to receive the ball. As long as the Atalanta duo shackle the Argentine international, they stand an excellent chance of isolating the Juventus strikers.
Ruslan Malinovskiy and Jeremie Boga will start behind Luis Muriel, who will lead the line in the absence of Zapata. The Atalanta striker has not scored against the Old Lady in 15 appearances, and there is no better time than now for the Colombian to break his duck.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Sportiello; Toloi, Demiral, Djimsiti; Maehle, de Roon, Freuler, Zappacosta; Malinovskiy, Boga; Muriel
Juventus
Allegri’s men have rarely hit their best this season but have been able to eke out results that have kept them in contention for a top-four finish. The addition of Vlahovic and Zakaria certainly adds more zest to the Bianconeri squad and could be exactly what they need to go all out in the second half of the season.
Juventus will be without star winger Federico Chiesa who is out for the season, and Giorgio Chiellini, who is sidelined. Federico Bernardeschi is expected to recover and find a place on the bench. Allegri is likely to deploy his side in a 4-3-3 formation that will serve more like a 4-3-1-2 on the night.
Ci attende una grande sfida. Vi portiamo in campo con noi verso #AtalantaJuve ??
— JuventusFC (@juventusfc) February 11, 2022
Wojciech Szczesny will start in goal behind the backline of Mattia De Sciglio, Matthijs de Ligt, Leonardo Bonucci and Danilo. Manuel Locatelli will be joined in the middle of the pitch, with Adrien Rabiot and Denis Zakaria starting alongside him. The trio will be tasked with securing the midfield and providing Dybala with the impetus to feed Vlahovic and Alvaro Morata, who looks set to lead the line.
The Bianconeri trio combined well last weekend against Hellas Verona, and more of the same will be expected this weekend. Allegri’s men go into the game as the in-form side among the duo and will hope to make their advantage count. Having played a game more than Atalanta so far, Juventus will want to come out of the clash with a win in the bag.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Szczesny; de Sciglio, de Ligt, Bonucci, Danilo; Rabiot, Locatelli, Zakaria; Dybala; Vlahovic, Morata
Key Stats
- Atalanta have won just three out of their 11 games at home so far this season. Only the current bottom four in Serie A have won fewer home games all season.
- Atalanta are on a two-game winning streak against Juventus. This is their best run against the Bianconeri in Serie A.
- A win will see Atalanta become just the second side after Parma to inflict three straight defeats on Juventus in Serie A.
- Atalanta have not won consecutive home games against Juventus since 1955.
- The last time Atalanta lost consecutive home games in Serie A was in 2019. Coincidentally those two losses were against Cagliari and Juventus.
- Juventus have kept three successive clean sheets in Serie A, their best run since 2018.
Player to Watch
Dusan Vlahovic
What a start for Dusan Vlahovic at Juventus! ?
He lifts a brilliant finish over the onrushing goalkeeper to open his account for his new club on his debut! ⚽ pic.twitter.com/fomnswUWj3
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) February 6, 2022
The Serbian has scored two goals in two games since his blockbuster move to the Allianz Stadium in January. A clinical player, he will relish going up against an Atalanta side that is not particularly known for being solid in defence. The 22-year-old’s ability to find the back of the net is likely to make a difference, especially in close-fought games.
Vlahovic also appears to have formed a good understanding with Morata, and the duo’s chemistry will give Dybala more ammo to work with. With the Serbian leading the line, the Argentine playmaker can drop deeper and bring the ball forward. It is fair to say that Vlahovic’s presence has turned Juventus into a more balanced side with the edge in attack.
Prediction
Atalanta 1-1 Juventus
With a top-four spot up for grabs, it would be unrealistic to expect both sides to go gung-ho from the word go. Usually an attack-minded team, Atalanta have struggled to get the results they desire at home. Whether this will force Gasperini to adopt a more pragmatic approach against Juventus remains to be seen.
It promises to be a tight game where both sides will aim to be solid at the back while probing for openings upfront. The match has every chance of ending in a tie as neither side would be willing to drop behind in the race for the Champions League spot.
