Serie A leaders Napoli will be chomping at the bit to bounce back from a rare defeat when they welcome an Atalanta to the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in Serie A on Saturday evening.
Forced to settle for a 0-0 stalemate at home against struggling Udinese last time out, Atalanta,, who face Napoli next, made it just a single victory from their last six assignments, which included disappointing defeats at the hands of AC Milan and Lecce.
With 42 points from 25 games, Atalanta are currently sixth in the Serie A table, five points adrift of Europa League qualification, as they have tumbled away from the Champions League spots in recent weeks.
Of course, there is no European football for Gasperini’s troops this season. And they have already been eliminated from the Coppa Italia. So they need to come up with something to spark their season back into life as goals have dried up lately.
Getting back on track against Serie A leaders Napoli is perhaps too much to ask of this Atalanta side. But a solid performance will give them some renewed confidence ahead of a very winnable stretch of games against Empoli, Cremonese, and Bologna.
On the other hand, Napoli will be keen to prove that last weekend’s 1-0 defeat to Lazio was nothing more than a minor blip. However, despite losing just two Serie A games this season and still holding a commanding 15-point buffer at the top of the table, Saturday’s hosts remain firm favourites to lift their first Scudetto in over 30 years. It is only a matter of time until Spalletti’s men clinch the league title, and it’s theirs to lose from this stage on.
Likewise, the Neapolitans also harbours Champions League aspirations after getting their Champions League knockout stage adventure off to a dream start as they clinched a 2-0 victory away at German outfit Eintracht Frankfurt over a fortnight ago.
Napoli ran away with a 2-1 victory when they made the trip to the Gewiss Stadium for the reverse fixture in early November. Ahead of their latest meeting in Naples, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams.
Team News & Tactics
Napoli
📸🏃♂️ pic.twitter.com/4DjTh42BLt
— Official SSC Napoli (@en_sscnapoli) March 9, 2023
Mario Rui will be suspended again on Saturday evening after receiving a straight red card against Empoli last month. Giacomo Raspadori has missed the past four games owing to a thigh injury and looks doubtful for this matchup as well. Otherwise, Luciano Spalletti has no fresh injury concerns and will line up a very familiar starting XI once again this weekend.
Alex Meret will be between the sticks. Mathias Olivera should come in at left-back for Mario Rui, while Giovani Di Lorenzo is likely to continue at right-back, from where they will look to provide an attacking outlet. Kim Min Jae and Amir Rrahmani should be the two centre-backs.
Stanislav Lobotka has been an ever-present at the base of the three-man midfield unit and should get the nod again, ahead of Tanguy Ndombele. He will be in charge of breaking up Atalanta’s rhythm and initiating quick transitions, with Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa supporting him. Piotr Zielinski ought to take up the third slot in the middle, from where he will look to provide the forward thrust.
As ever, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia will be a livewire from the left, whereas Matteo Politano provides a consistent attacking threat down the right. Victor Osimhen, who has 19 Serie A goals this season and has been on fire since the World Cup break, will spearhead Spalletti’s attack.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Kim, Rrahmani, Olivera; Anguissa, Lobotka, Zielinski; Politano, Osimhen, Kvaratskhelia
Atalanta
Unlike his counterpart in the Napoli dugout, Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini has a few more injury problems to cope with. He will remain without the services of long-term absentees like Duvan Zapata and Hans Hateboer, but will also have to replace both Teun Koopmeiners and Davide Zappacosta, while Giorgio Scalvini is also expected to miss out with an ankle injury.
Otherwise, Gasperini is unlikely to make many changes to the team that started in the draw against Udinese last time out, and La Dea should continue in their trademark 3-4-2-1 formation in front of goalkeeper Juan Musso. Berat Djimsiti and Rafael Toloi are regulars at the back for Atalanta and should feature on either side of Merih Demiral, who will slot into the heart of the back three.
🤟#Éderson #WallpaperWednesday #GoAtalantaGo ⚫️🔵 pic.twitter.com/VV76RwG8lu
— Atalanta B.C. (@Atalanta_BC) March 8, 2023
Joakim Maehle ought to line up at right wing-back again, while Matteo Ruggeri should come in for Zappacosta on the left, from where he will act as a key outlet going forward. Ederson and Marten de Roon will look to provide a solid platform in the centre of the park to allow the attackers and wing-backs the freedom to do their bit.
Defensively, De Roon’s positioning and tenacity help halt counter-attacks at the source. Jeremy Boga finds himself in an unfamiliar No. 10 role as a result of injuries and will look to engineer some dangerous situations around the Napoli box with his pace and trickery.
Dangerman Ademola Lookman will likely pair up with Rasmus Hojlund as the two strikers who will look to give Napoli’s defence a rough time tracking their dynamic runs down.
Probable Lineup (3-4-1-2): Musso; Toloi, Demiral, Djimsiti; Maehle, De Roon, Ederson, Ruggeri; Boga; Lookman, Hojlund
Key Stats
- Last weekend’s 1-0 defeat at home against Lazio brought an end to Napoli’s seven-match winning streak across all competitions.
- However, the hosts have lost just two of their 25 Serie A games this season.
- Atalanta, on the other hand, have only won one of their last six matches, losing four.
- La Dea have also lost three of their last four away fixtures across all competitions.
- Gian Piero Gasperini’s side have picked up the joint second-most points on the road in the Serie A as of yet, collecting 24 points from 13 matches.
Player to Watch
Victor Osimhen
Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen looks well-placed to get on the scoresheet here after firing a blank against Lazio last time out. The in-demand 24-year-old has got everything you want from a modern-day striker: athletic, robust, direct, aerially fearless, excellent with hold-up and link-up play, and a strong eye for goal.
Osimhen is a deadly finisher and has already plundered 19 goals in 21 Serie A appearances overall in 2022/23. The Hard Tackle are tipping the Serie A top-scorer to add to his goal tally on Saturday.
Prediction
Napoli 2-0 Atalanta
After seeing their seven-match winning streak come to an abrupt end last weekend, there is no doubt that Napoli will be looking for an instant response and to resume normal service. Napoli are unlikely to get complacent after Luciano Spalletti’s side shenanigans last season, letting slip the Scudetto from under their noses. They may well be eager to claim the three points this weekend against Atalanta.
It may seem unjust for La Dea to face a wounded animal in Napoli at a time when they have lost their scoring touch. But that is the beast that this Partenepoi team is. The visitors will be motivated to put up a fight against the league leaders. However, a comfortable home victory should be the favourable outcome on Saturday, and it would not be a surprise if Osimhen finds the back of the net at some point during the game.
