Atalanta vs Inter Milan Preview: Probable Lineups, Prediction, Tactics, Team News & Key Stats

Serie A leaders Inter Milan will hit the road to square up against fourth-placed Atalanta in search of their ninth win in the league.

After getting off to a decent start in the new season Atalanta are all set to host Inter Milan who are flying high at this point in time. Last year’s Champions League finalist Inter currently sit at the top of the points table in Italy and will look to maintain their dominance when they face fourth-placed La Dea.

The home team have accumulated 19 points in their ten league outings. They have won six games, drawn one and lost three so far. They are six points behind league leaders and will look to close the gap with a win on Saturday.

Atalanta have been unbeaten in their last three games in all competitions. They have won their last two league outings and played out a draw against SK Sturm Graz in the Europa League. The home team are heading into this encounter on the back of a clinical 3-0 win over Empoli. Gian Piero Gasperini’s team dominated the proceedings and they were deserved winners on the night.

Now, they will square up against Inter Milan, a team that sits at the top of the Serie A with 25 points out of their 10 outings. They have won eight matches, drawn one and lost one so far. It has been a dominating run by the Nerazzurri. They have been unbeaten in their last six outings having secured a win on five of those occasions.

The visitors are heading into this fixture on the back of a 1-0 win over AS Roma. Simone Inzaghi’s team did not allow Jose Mourinho’s men to have much of the ball. They dominated the proceedings and came out on top in the end.

This fixture between Atalanta and Inter Milan is expected to be a closely-fought encounter between two quality teams. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both squads and tries to predict the tactics they could put to use.

Team News & Tactics

Atalanta

Gian Piero Gasperini could be without the services of summer signing El Bilal Toure and Jose Luis Palomino. Apart from the duo, the participation of Giorgio Scalvini and Davide Zappacosta in this fixture is doubtful.

Gasperini will stick to the 3-4-1-2 formation, where Juan Musso will be in goal. The back three will consist of Giorgio Scalvini, Berat Djimsiti and Sead Kolasinac. The trio will look to keep a clean sheet against the best attack in the league.

Matteo Ruggeri and Hans Hateboer will feature out wide in the centre of the park. They will feature as wing-backs and look to help out the three-man defence when needed. Marten de Roon and Ederson will feature in a more central role. They will look to control more of the ball and dictate the pace of this game.

Teun Koopmeiners will feature behind the two forwards. He will be the creative force of the team. Koopmeiners will look to drop back and link up with the central midfielders and find those killer passes for his forwards Ademola Lookman and Gianluca Scamacca.

Probable Lineup (3-4-1-2): Musso; Scalvini, Djimsiti, Kolasinac; Hateboer, De Roon, Ederson, Ruggeri; Koopmeiners; Lookman, Scamacca

Inter Milan

Simone Inzaghi’s team will be without the services of Marko Arnautovic and Juan Cuadrado for this away trip. Apart from the duo, everyone else is expected to be available for this fixture.

Simone Inzaghi will stick to the 3-5-2 formation, where summer signing Yann Sommer will continue in goal. The back three will consist of Benjamin Pavard, Francesco Acerbi and Alessandro Bastoni.

Inter have the best defence in the league, they have only conceded five goals so far and they will look to continue in a similar fashion. The back three will have the support of Denzel Dumfries and Federico Dimarco, who will feature in the centre of the park as wing-backs.

Nicolo Barella, Hakan Calhanoglu and Henrikh Mkhitaryan will feature in a more central role. Calhanoglu will be in a more defensive role while the other two will look to contribute towards both ends of the pitch.

Serie A top scorer Lautaro Martínez, who has found the back of the net on 11 occasions this term, will pair up with summer signing Marcus Thuram up top in attack.

Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Sommer; Pavard, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Martinez, Thuram

Key Stats

• In the last 43 outings between Inter Milan and Atalanta, Inter have won 23 times while the home team have only won seven times.
• The visitors are unbeaten in their last nine games against Atalanta in the league.
• Atalanta have played out a draw in 11 out of their last 23 home matches against Inter in the league.
• Inter have the best defence and attack in the league. They have conceded just 5 goals while they have found the back of the net on 25 occasions.
• The visitors are unbeaten in their last six outings, they have won five of those fixtures.

Player to Watch

Lautaro Martínez

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The Inter Milan skipper is in sensational form thus far in the ongoing season. He has featured in ten league games and has found the back of the net on 11 occasions. He has also bagged two assists so far.

Martínez averages a goal every 74th minute in the league, and his sensational form is one of the reasons for Inter’s ongoing dominance in the league. Given the recent form of the 26-year-old World Cup winner, he could surely end up being the difference between the two teams.

Prediction

Atalanta 1-2 Inter Milan

Inter Milan might be a dominant force in the league in the ongoing season. But, they are not invisible and will surely have to fight it out against a strong Atalanta team for all three points on Saturday.

The visitors are the more dominant team, but La Dea will surely put up a fight. In the end, Inter might come out on top by the barest of margins. The Hard Tackle predicts a hard-fought 2-1 win for the away team.